Russia wants to survey the seabed near Norwegian oil and gas facilities
28.05.2023 - 15:45
The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Norway applied to the government of Oslo for permission to study the seabed near the country’s oil and gas facilities.
In the summer, the Russians plan to carry out two “scientific” expeditions to the region, writes Gospodarkamorska. The ship “Akademik Mstislav Keldysh” intends to explore the seabed in the north of Norway, and “Professor Molchanov” — to explore the area east of the Svalbard archipelago.
Norwegian oil and gas installations are located in places of interest to Russians. In particular, the Snohvit field, from where gas is supplied to plants that later produce LNG for Germany. As the publication notes, thanks to Snohvit, countries are replacing Russian gas.
Another important infrastructure is the submarine cable connecting Svalbard and the Scandinavian Peninsula.
It is worth noting that Academician Mstislav Keldysh is under the jurisdiction of the Russian Shirshov Institute, which has been under US and Ukrainian sanctions since December 2022. The vessel “Professor Molchanov” belongs to another research center, but is also listed on the Institute’s website as its fleet.
According to Norwegian Military Academy expert Ase Guille Ostensen, the Norwegian authorities should deny the Russians permission for the expedition.
“Russian scientific ships conduct research in support of their fleet. Their activities are problematic, especially in the current security situation,” Ostensen said.
