Seismic blasting from the array of TGS NOPEC operated vessel M/V Akademik Shatskiy.

77° 28N 13° 21W. September 3, 2015. TGS-NOPEC

The M/V Akademik Shatskiy operated by Norwegian company TGS Nopec conducts seismic blasting off North-East Greenland. The air guns emit 259 decibel blasts towards the seabed in order to find possible oil reservoirs. Above water, this sound intensity would be perceived by humans as approximately eight times louder than a jet engine taking off. Global oil companies including BP, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell all own drilling rights in the Greenland Sea and are the likely customers for the data uncovered by the seismic testing company. A Greenpeace expedition onboard the icebreaker Arctic Sunrise is currently documenting the seismic testing fleet, which plans to complete 7,000km of ‘survey lines’ of the seabed in the high Arctic, between 75 and 80 degrees north. According to a new scientific review, seismic blasting is ‘alarming’ and could seriously injure whales and other marine life in the Arctic.