science
Russian Research Vessel Given Green Light for Expedition in Norwegian Waters
In May, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted permission for a Russian research voyage in Norwegian sea areas.
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In early May, the Russian Embassy, on behalf of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, submitted a formal request to Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
The application concerned a research voyage with the vessel Dalnie Zelentsy from June 6 to July 6.
The Russian research vessel has been in Norwegian waters on several occasions in recent years. This summer’s planned expedition would follow the Kola transect, which extends through the Norwegian Economic Zone off the mainland and further into the Fisheries Protection Zone around Spitsbergen in Svalbard.
The stated purpose of the expedition was water column sampling, seabed sampling, and CTD profiling (measurement of conductivity/salinity, temperature and depth).
Approved application
The MFA approved the apllication in late May, but imposed clearconditions.
First, it was required that raw data from the expedition be shared with Norwegian marine research institutions, and that a final expedition report be submitted to the MFA no later than six months after the completion of the voyage.
The Ministry also prohibited the collection of sedimentary seafloor samples on the Norwegian continental shelf, with the exception of organisms living on or within the seabed itself (zoobenthos).
In addition, the MFA requested an updated crew list prior to the start of the expedition.
Law of the sea sets the framework
The application was processed under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), often referred to as the constitution of the oceans.
The convention regulates nearly all matters pertaining to the sea, from fishing and oil extraction to environmental issues, navigation, and national borders.
The international regulatory framework establishes how Norwegian authorities must handle such requests:
"Under the Law of the Sea, all states have the right to conduct marine scientific research as long as the rights of other states are respected. It is a core Maintaining respect for the Law of the Sea is a core Norwegian interest, and applications from other countries for marine research expeditions are processed in accordance with Norway’s obligations under international law," said MFA spokesperson Emil Bremnes in an email to High North News.
Stricter rules near the coast
As a coastal state, Norway can deny marine research expeditions within its territorial waters, that is, within 12 nautical miles of the coast.
"In recent years, Norway has not granted consent for Russian research expeditions in Norwegian territorial waters," Bremnes states.
Outside the 12-nautical-mile limit, in exclusive economic zones and on the continental shelf, the area is not considered Norwegian territory, but rather zones where Norway holds only certain sovereign rights. Here, the coastal state must, as a general rule, grant consent for scientific research.
"The coastal state can only deny research in a few spesific cases, such as when it does not involve purely scientific research, but rather the exploitation or mapping of resources," Bremnes explained.
The application from the Murmansk institute was therefore processed under standard regulations, on equal footing with applications from other countries.
Keeping a close eye
Even though the activity is formally scientific, Bremnes emphasizes that Norwegian security authorities are monitoring the situation closely.
"The Armed Forces, the Intelligence Service, and the Police Security Service work continuously to prevent and deter activities that are initially lawful from being exploited for purposes that could harm our national security and Norwegian interests," Bremnes wrote.
The MFA clarifies that this type of marine research expedition must not be confused with joint Norwegian-Russian fisheries research, which is conducted within the framework of the Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission. The Commission's work forms the foundation for managing shared fish stocks in the Barents Sea.
