Fugro to Survey Part of Barents Sea

Fugro OSAE GmbH informs it has been awarded a €3.6 million hydrographic survey contract by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NHS).

The survey encompasses an area of over 13,200 km² in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea and is part of Norway's MAREANO project. A contract option allows for the extension of the survey area by two thirds.

Fugro explain that this area in the Barents Sea is located at the northern-most part of Norway, near the Russian border, in water depths between 150 and 250 metres. In the Norwegian Sea the survey area is located approximately 100 miles offshore with water depths between 400 and 800 metres. These sections are adjacent to the area surveyed by Fugro in 2011 - 2013. Data processing will take place onboard the survey vessel and at Fugro OSAE's processing centre in Bremen, Germany.

MAREANO is Norway's programme to fill knowledge gaps related to seabed conditions and biodiversity along the northern Norwegian coast. The goal is to contribute to a better knowledge base for resource management, in particular for fishing and oil and gas exploitation. The acquisition of detailed and accurate bathymetry is an important first step in the collection of seafloor data.

Fugro OSAE adds that it has conducted surveys as a part of the MAREANO project area for the past seven years, as well as collecting high resolution bathymetry data for Norwegian electronic nautical charting (ENC).