Norwegian-Russian joint mapping of the Barents Sea
Norway and Russia will this month begin a joint mapping of undiscovered natural resources in the Barents Sea and around the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), the University of Oslo (UiO) and the Russian Geological Institute (GIN RAS) will participate in the charting mission, Dagens Næringsliv reports.
UiO has awarded a contract to the Russian research vessel “Akademik Nikolay Strakhov” which will carry out most of the geological surveys in the Barents Sea and around Svalbard.
According to NPD research director Sissel Eriksen, the directorate cooperated with Russia for some time, and that this latest agreement is a continuation of this cooperation. She underlines that the main task now is charting the area, and not to explore for oil and gas.
The surveys do not include the disputed area in the Barents Sea, where Norway and Russia have not agreed on the borders.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has earlier estimated that two thirds of Norway’s undiscovered resources are to be found in the northern regions.
