courtesy Aker Arctic

Canada and Denmark might soon have more ammunition in a dispute over rights to oil and gas in the Arctic, as a new survey of the Baffin Bay and Ungava Labrador region gets underway ahead of a Greenland offshore licensing round in early 2010.

Authorities in Danish territory Greenland plan a major bid round and a TGS-NOPEC survey is expected to help solve “the geologic challenges and hydrocarbon potential”. Oil companies pre-paid for data, including a survey underway of 41,000 square kilometres of plane- and ship-launched geophysics.

But while the data will be ready for companies by year-end 2009, the survey is likely to arouse interest in Canada, where politicians have openly disputed Danish claims to Hans Island and other local areas. In the summer of 2005, the Canadian and then the Danish military planted flags on the uninhabited rock lodged between Danish Greenland and Canadian Ellesmere Island.

The two countries have sought international arbitration over the matter, although the latest 9,600 km “2D” survey will take place to the immediate south of the hotly disputed area.

This new survey will “infill previous programs” for a complete regional data grid.

By 2010, TGS’s data library will have 90,000 km of 2D data and 300,000 km of aeromagnetic data of the border area.

Tags: TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company