Atle Staalesen

Finland, which in 2017 takes over the chair in the Council, has decided to abandon plans for an Arctic summit as part of its chairmanship period.

While a flotilla of seismic vessels lie idle in nearby Norway, a Russian oil company has hired the China Oilfield Services Ltd (COSL) for its seismic operations in the Barents Sea.

The merger of several existing institutes results in the establishment of a new top research center on the Arctic.

Gazprom, Russia’s oil and gas giant, has swapped assets with Austrian energy firm OMV in a deal announced last week. While the Austrians get part of the Urengoy project in Western Siberia, the Russians get a stake of OMV, according to a joint press release issued by the companies.

Several Nobel Laureates point a warning finger against Norway; oil exploration in the Arctic must stop.

A program of major investments in new icebreakers is among those facing funding cuts as Russia grapples with a strained economy.

Arctic waters are opening up for shipping, but transit voyages on Northern Sea Route still plummet.

Both Gazprom and Rosneft want the license to the Murmanskoye field in the Barents Sea. The scene is set for another Arctic power battle between Russia’s two leading energy companies as they both sign up for the license to the Murmanskoye field.

In the letter handed over by owner representative Stig Olsen Monday, Thomas Nilsen is ordered out of the editorial chair with immediate effect. The letter reads that Nilsen has acted disloyally to the owners and that he has seriously mismanaged his duties as editor.