Statoil survey complete but seismic testing continues

The area where TGS is carrying out a seismic survey is indicated by the yellow lines.

A seismic survey has been completed of more than 10,000sq km of seabed off Northland's west coast where Norwegian firm Statoil is exploring for oil.

However, seismic company TGS, also from Norway, will continue surveying the rest of the Northland-Reinga Basin, albeit in less detail, until April. The entire basin covers an area of about 54,000sq km. TGS is also surveying in the Taranaki Basin.

In 2013 Statoil was granted permission to explore a 9800sq km block of the Reinga Basin, followed by a further 1670sq km late last year.

Statoil New Zealand manager Bryn Klove said the survey of Statoil's permit area had gone well. It took 50 days and collected of 5330km of 2D seismic line data.

"We will now combine this data with other information we have to build a better understanding of what is beneath the sea floor within the permit areas," he said.

Statoil would decide by April 2017 whether to continue with the second exploration phase. That would involve acquiring 1200sq km of 3D seismic data.

While the survey findings were being analysed Mr Klove said he would engage with Northland stakeholders and listen to local perspectives about Statoil's plans.

A spokeswoman for TGS said the company took the protection of marine mammals seriously and complied with the 2013 Code of conduct for minimising acoustic disturbance to marine mammals from seismic survey operations.

Tersha Perry, a Te Rarawa observer on board the seismic survey ship Aquilla Explorer, is filing daily reports via a Facebook page about any marine mammals observed and action taken by the crew.
Her blog shows almost daily sightings of marine mammals, most recently of a pod of pilot whales with calves on Wednesday. The acoustic array guns, which create the seismic pulses, were shut down immediately, she said.

Ms Perry also wrote that three beaked whales had been found dead at Whatipu Beach near Manukau Heads. The vessel was more than 200 nautical miles from Whatipu at the time but she was awaiting the result of autopsies by DoC and Massey University scientists to determine their cause of death.

Nick Young of Greenpeace, which is campaigning against Statoil's search for oil, said seismic surveying put whales, dolphins and other marine life in danger.

A Greenpeace boat carrying listening equipment and scientists was gathering data about the potential impacts of seismic testing, which he said the Government and Statoil had failed to do.

Three whales washed up on Ninety Mile Beach last year - a sperm whale and Bryde's whale in August, and a dwarf sperm whale in November - around the time Statoil was using sonar to map the seabed but before the seismic survey started. Their ear bones are being analysed to determine whether seismic testing played a part in their deaths.

In total TGS is collecting 17,000km of line data in the Northland-Reinga and Taranaki Basins.