The Oil and Gas Authority has begun the release of data from the 2015 Government-funded seismic shoot off the UK coast.
The move is being seen as an opportunity to kick-start new exploration activity on the UK continental shelf.
Data from the Rockall Trough west of the mainland and from the Mid North Sea High regions are now available.
The programme acquired 8,896km of full-fold seismic in the Rockall Trough Area, 10,849km of full-fold seismic acquired in mid-North Sea high.
Industry body Oil & Gas UK welcomed the release of data.
Chief executive Deirdre Michie, said: “This marks a milestone in the collective efforts to re-energise exploration activity on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).
The OGA is publishing the data via the UKOilandGasData.com portal, the industry’s shared data management service operated by Common Data Access (CDA), a subsidiary of Oil & Gas UK.
Michie said: “There is a comprehensive array of information available, including both newly acquired and legacy seismic data plus gravity and magnetic maps and well data.
“It represents a new dimension in both the quantity and quality of subsurface data available in these frontier areas, which should help stimulate further interest in the forthcoming 29th Licence Round.
“Record numbers of organisations both in the UKCS and overseas have already registered an interest in downloading the data and it is a testament to the focus and hard work of many individuals that the project has been delivered so effectively.
The programme was completed by Schlumberger company, WesternGeco, last October with almost 20,000km of new 2D seismic lines acquired over an area of 200,000km.
The government is making an additional £20 million available to fund new seismic data acquisition this year for release in 2017.
Results from these surveys will again be made available to the wider industry and academia.”
CDA was set up by industry in 1995 as a collaborative initiative to provide on-line services for the secure storage, controlled sharing and release of UKCS well and seismic data.
Chief executive Malcolm Fleming, said: “CDA’s UKOilandGasData portal provides the ideal platform for delivering the OGA seismic data packages to exploration companies and other parties, swiftly and cost-effectively, anywhere in the world.”
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