Norway in Respect of Areas in the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea Executive Summary
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Continental Shelf Submission of Norway in respect of areas in the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea Executive Summary 50˚00’ 85˚00’ 45˚00’ 40˚00’ 35˚00’ Continental shelf 30˚00’ 30˚00’ 200 nautical mile limit of Norway beyond 200 nautical 85˚00’ 25˚00’ 25˚00’ 20˚00’ 20˚00’ miles 15˚00’ 15˚00’ 200 nautical mile limits of other states 10˚00’5˚00’ 0˚00’ 5˚00’10˚00’ Bilateral maritime boundaries between Water depth Norway and other states 0 meter Computed median line between 500 meter Norway and the Russian Federation 1000 meter Western 80˚00’ Nansen Basin Preliminary line connecting continental 1500 meter shelf outer limit points of Norway and the Russian Federation 2000 meter Outer limit of the continental shelf 2500 meter beyond 200 nautical miles 3000 meter 2500 meter isobath 3500 meter 80˚00’ Yermak BARENTS Land boundaries between states 4000 meter Plateau Boundary between 200 nautical mile 4500 meter SEA 75˚00’ zones of Mainland Norway and around Svalbard 5000 meter 5500 meter Land Svalbard Continental shelf outer limit points Norwegian territory 60 nautical mile distance criterion Sediment thickness criterion Land, undifferentiated Knipovich Ridge Loop Greenland Hole Point of the Russian Federation 75˚00’ 70˚00’ GREENLAND SEA Bjørnøya 65˚00’ 70˚00’ Mohns Ridge Jan Mayen 60˚00’ NORWEGIAN 50˚00’ Lofoten Jan Mayen Fracture Zone SEA Basin Iceland SEAVøring Spur Jan Mayen Micro Continent Banana Hole Plateau Banana Hole 65˚00’ 45˚00’ Vøring Russian Federation Norway Plateau Basin 40˚00’ Iceland Finland 35˚00’ 60˚00’ 30˚00’ 30˚00’ Storegga Sweden Submitted by Norway to the CLCS in 2006 Faroe 25˚00’ 25˚00’ Outline of the outer limits of the continental shelf submitted for areas in the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea 20˚00’ Islands 20˚00’ Shetland Polar Stereograpic - Latitude true scale 75˚N 15˚00’ 15˚00’ Bathymetry: ETOPO2 data from NGDC data base Mainland Norway 0 100 200 300 400 500 km Coastline: GSHHS data from NGDC data base 10˚00’ 10˚00’ Contour interval: 500m 5˚00’ 5˚00’ 0˚00’ ©Continental Oljedirektoratet Shelf 2006 Submission of Norway 2 ISBNExecutive 82-7257-658-9 Summary Executive Summary Continental Shelf Submission of Norway 3 Executive Summary Contents 1. Introduction 6 2. Maritime areas, maps and coordinates 6 3. Commission members who provided advice during the preparation of the submission 9 4. Provisions of article 76 invoked in support of the submission 9 5. General description of the continental margins 9 6. Maritime delimitations and other issues 11 7. Area-by-area overview 12 Appendix 1. Coordinates and Information on the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf 19 Continental Shelf Submission of Norway 4 Executive Summary List of fi gures Fig. 1. Overview of the three maritime areas beyond 200 nautical miles in the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. Fig. 2. Outline of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. Fig. 3. Three-dimensional map of parts of the North East Atlantic and the adjacent Barents Sea and Arctic Ocean. Fig. 4. The continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in the Loop Hole in the Barents Sea. Fig. 5. Airguns with depressor for acquiring seismic data by icebreaker “Oden” in the Nansen Basin. Technical solution tailor-made by the University of Bergen. Fig. 6. The outer limit of the continental shelf in the Western Nansen Basin. Fig. 7. The outer limit of the continental shelf in the Banana Hole. Fig. 8. The research vessel “G.O. Sars” of Bergen acquiring bathymetric data in the Norwegian Sea (Photo: Harald M. Valderhaug). Continental Shelf Submission of Norway 5 Executive Summary 1. Introduction The preparation of the present submission be- gan after Norway’s ratifi cation of the Conven- Norway signed the 1982 United Nations Con- tion in 1996. Since then, acquisition of seismic vention on the Law of the Sea (hereinafter and bathymetric data, and processing, analysis the Convention) on the day it was opened for and interpretation of data have continued until signature and ratifi ed it on 24 June 1996. It this year. The preparation has been carried out entered into force for Norway on 24 July 1996. by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, an independent agency under the Royal Ministry This submission fulfi ls the obligation Norway of Petroleum and Energy. The Directorate is has under article 76 and article 4 of Annex II Norway’s expert body for offshore geology of the Convention to submit information on the and geophysics. Various other agencies and outer limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 institutions, including in particular the Norwe- nautical miles from the baselines from which gian Mapping Authority, the Norwegian Polar the breadth of the territorial sea is measured, Institute and the Universities of Bergen and in respect of areas in the Arctic Ocean, the Oslo have also made scientifi c or other con- Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. tributions to the submission. The preparation of the submission has been undertaken under The rights of the coastal State over the con- the direction of the Royal Ministry of Foreign tinental shelf exist ipso facto and ab initio, as Affairs. refl ected in article 77 of the Convention. By Royal Decree of 31 May 1963 Norway proclaimed sovereign rights over the seabed and subsoil outside the coast of the Kingdom of Norway as regards exploitation and explora- 2. Maritime areas, maps and tion of natural deposits, to such extent as the coordinates depth of the sea permits the exploitation of such deposits. This defi nition of the continen- The data and information contained in this tal shelf was restated in Act No. 12 of 21 June submission are intended to enable the estab- 1963 relating to the exploration for and exploi- lishment of the outer limits of the continental tation of submarine natural resources. Later, shelf where those limits extend beyond 200 Act No. 11 of 22 March 1985 pertaining to pe- nautical miles from the baselines in three troleum activities specifi ed that the continental separate maritime areas in the North East shelf comprises the seabed and subsoil beyond Atlantic and the Arctic. These are described in the territorial sea, as far as it may be deemed this submission as: to be the natural prolongation of Norwegian land territory, but no less than 200 nautical 1. the Loop Hole in the Barents Sea miles from the baselines. The current defi nition 2. the Western Nansen Basin in the Arctic is contained in Act of 29 November 1996 No. Ocean; and 72 relating to petroleum activities, and builds 3. the Banana Hole in the Norwegian Sea. on article 76 of the Convention. It refers to the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas The present submission deals only with the that extend beyond the Norwegian territorial outer limits of the continental shelf in these sea, throughout the natural prolongation of the three areas (see Fig. 1). A further submission Norwegian land territory to the outer edge of may be made in respect of other areas. the continental margin, but no less than 200 nautical miles from the baselines. Five maps are included in this executive sum- Continental Shelf Submission of Norway 6 Executive Summary 50˚00’ 85˚00’ 45˚00’ 40˚00’ 35˚00’ Water depth 30˚00’ 30˚00’ 200 nautical mile limit of Norway 0 meter 85˚00’ 25˚00’ 25˚00’ 20˚00’ 20˚00’ 15˚00’ 15˚00’ 200 nautical mile limits of other states 500 meter 10˚00’5˚00’ 0˚00’ 5˚00’10˚00’ Bilateral maritime boundaries between 1000 meter Norway and other states 1500 meter Western Computed median line between Norway and the Russian 2000 meter Federation Nansen Basin 80˚00’ 2500 meter 2500 meter isobath 3000 meter Land boundaries between states 3500 meter Boundary between 200 nautical mile zones of Mainland Norway and around 4000 meter Svalbard 4500 meter k Outline of areas beyond 200 80˚00’ nautical miles 5000 meter Yerma BARENTS 5500 meter Plateau SEA 75˚00’ Land Norwegian territory Land, undifferentiated Svalbard Loop Knipovich Ridge Loop Greenland Hole 75˚00’ 70˚00’ GREENLAND SEA Bjørnøya 65˚00’ 70˚00’ Mohns Ridge 7 ole Jan Mayen 60˚00’ NORWEGIAN 50˚00’ ntinent Lofoten Jan Mayen Fracture Zone Mayen SEA Basin Iceland Vøring Spur Jan Micro Co Banana Hole Plateau Banana H 65˚00’ 45˚00’ Vøring Russian Federation Norway Plateau Basin 40˚00’ Iceland Finland 35˚00’ ga 60˚00’ 30˚00’ 30˚00’ Storeg Sweden Faroe 25˚00’ 25˚00’ 20˚00’ Islands 20˚00’ Shetland nland Norway 15˚00’ 15˚00’ Mai 0 100 200 300 400 500 km 10˚00’ 10˚00’ 5˚00’ 5˚00’ 0˚00’ Fig. 1. Overview of the three maritime areas beyond 200 nautical miles in the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. Continental Shelf Submission of Norway Summary Executive 50˚00’ 85˚00’ 45˚00’ Executive Summary Executive Continental Shelf Submission ofNorway 40˚00’ 35˚00’ Continental shelf 30˚00’ 30˚00’ 200 nautical mile limit of Norway beyond 200 nautical 85˚00’ 25˚00’ 25˚00’ 20˚00’ 20˚00’ miles 15˚00’ 15˚00’ 200 nautical mile limits of other states 10˚00’5˚00’ 0˚00’ 5˚00’10˚00’ Bilateral maritime boundaries between Water depth Norway and other states 0 meter Computed median line between 500 meter Norway and the Russian Federation 1000 meter Western 80˚00’ Nansen Basin Preliminary line connecting continental 1500 meter shelf outer limit points of Norway and the Russian Federation 2000 meter Outer limit of the continental shelf 2500 meter beyond 200 nautical miles 3000 meter k 2500 meter isobath 3500 meter 80˚00’ Yerma BARENTS Land boundaries between states 4000 meter Plateau Boundary between 200 nautical mile 4500 meter SEA 75˚00’