Continental shelf’s extent outside Bouvet Island clarified

Bouvetoya.jpg

Bouvet island is uninhabited and is the most remote island in the world. Photo: Norwegian Polar Institute.

12/04/2019 Bouvet Island is a Norwegian island situated in the southernmost part of the Atlantic Ocean.

The extent of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles outside Bouvet Island has now been clarified with the Continental Shelf Commission in New York. The Commission’s recommendation is in line with Norway’s proposal submitted to the Commission in 2009 and revised in 2015.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the work on the shelf proposal. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, which is the State’s authority charged with geotechnical mapping of the continental shelf, has been responsible for preparing the technical and scientific documentation required by the UN Convention on Law of the Sea. This is primarily documentation based on geology, geophysics and hydrography – disciplines which are part of the NPD’s core expertise.

The comprehensive technical and scientific documentation is based on multiple seasons of data acquisition in the Southern Ocean and around Bouvet Island. The data acquisition was carried out in two periods, 2002 – 2008 and 2014 – 2016, and is based on experience from the work to determine the extent of the Norwegian continental shelf in the Norwegian Sea, the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the period 1996-2006.

In addition to its own work, the NPD has obtained assistance from several technical authorities. The Norwegian Polar Institute, the Institute of Marine Research and the University of Bergen have assisted in collecting data. This was accomplished by using available ship time on Norwegian, Russian and South African research ships. The Norwegian Hydrographic Service has calculated and quality-assured cartographic data. The University of Oslo has conducted geophysical analyses, which were a crucial element in Norway’s proposal, and also participated in meetings with the Continental Shelf Commission.

“We are very pleased that the technical documentation we submitted has clearly contributed to Norway’s success in this case,” says Director General Bente Nyland.

 

Updated: 15/04/2019

Latest news

“New” source rock discovered west of Svalbard
24/04/2025 Studies of natural oil and gas seeps from the seabed have yielded new knowledge about a previously overlooked young source rock.
Production figures March 2025
23/04/2025 Preliminary production figures for March 2025 show an average daily production of 1 972 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Drilling permit for wellbore 30/11-16 S
15/04/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Aker BP ASA drilling permit for wellbore 30/11-16 S in production licence 873, cf. Section 13 of the Resource Management Regulations.
An APA overview
09/04/2025 Through APA the industry has gained regular access to new acreage on the Norwegian continental shelf. Today, this includes nearly all the acreage that has been opened for petroleum activity.
Technology Day programme announced
08/04/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate’s Technology Day will be held on 5 June. There are still some slots available!
Another sulphide deposit, “Gygra”, discovered on the NCS
02/04/2025 The Centre for Deep Sea Research at the University of Bergen (UiB) and the Norwegian Offshore Directorate have discovered a new sulphide location on the Knipovich Ridge, west of Svalbard.
New organisation at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate
01/04/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate is implementing a new organisation.
Oil and gas discovery in the North Sea (35/10-15 S and A)
28/03/2025 DNO and its partners have made an oil and gas discovery in the "Kjøttkake" prospect.
Dry well in the Norwegian Sea (6507/2-8)
27/03/2025 Aker BP ASA and its partners have completed drilling on the “Kongeørn” prospect in the Norwegian Sea, 240 kilometres west of Sandnessjøen.
Drilling permit for wellbore 25/11-30 S
27/03/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 25/11-30 S in production licence 169, cf. Section 13 of the Resource Management Regulations.