Norwegian Shelf Opened for Seabed Mineral Activity
Ocean News
A section of a sulphide sample, obtained during an expedition to the Mohns Ridge in the Norwegian Sea in 2020. (Image credit: Øystein Leiknes Nag, Norwegian Offshore Directorate)
On January 9, 2024, the Storting (Norwegian parliament) decided to open the Norwegian shelf for exploration and possible extraction of seabed minerals.
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate (formerly The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate) has contributed to the opening process, among other things by coordinating work on the impact assessment and preparing a resource assessment.
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has mapped vast areas in the northern Norwegian Sea since 2017 and taken samples and collected data about minerals and metals found on the seabed. The Norwegian Offshore Directorate did this by means of their own expeditions, and also in cooperation with expert communities at the universities in Tromsø and Bergen.
