Offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas sample submission standards

Version date: February 2020

Titleholders submit physical samples to the National Offshore Petroleum Data and Core Repository (NOPDCR).

These standards help titleholders comply with regulations when submitting physical samples collected from offshore drilling or other operations. The standards ensure samples are stored properly so future generations can use them.

This relates to the:

• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006
• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Resource Management and Administration) Regulations 2011
• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Resource Management and Administration) Regulations 2025 (RMA Regulations)

Download

This version relates to the 2011 regulations:

• Offshore petroleum sample submission standards, February 2020 [DOCX 11.9 MB] [PDF 1.9 MB]

New version effective 31 March 2026

The below revised will replace the current version on 31 March when the remade RMA Regulations 2025 commence:

• Offshore petroleum and greenhouse sample submission standards, 31 March 2026
  [DOCX 11.6 MB]

Summary

Content includes an overview of the NOPDCR arrangement and details on standards for packaging, presenting and submitting:

• ditch cuttings
• sidewall core
• gaseous hydrocarbons and fluid samples
• thin sections
• submission addresses
• best practices for processing petroleum drill core into trays and common mistakes to avoid.

Related information

• Data management guideline, effective 31 March 2026 on our Guidelines page.
• Sample submission requirements fact sheet, effective 31 March 2026 on our Fact sheets page.
• Submission addresses, contacts and transmittals fact sheet, effective 31 March 2026 on our Submission addresses page.

Contact us

• Email: data@nopta.gov.au