The present-day stress regime in the north of the quadrant 25, in the Norwegian North Sea, has been investigated using well logs and drilling records. The results of ten wells have been considered as reliable and representative of the area. There is limited information for estimating subsurface in situ stress magnitudes. However, the principal stress is assumed vertical and is calculated by integrating density logs. Some drilling leak-off tests suggest that the smallest horizontal stress, sigma h, is approximately 90 % of the vertical stress at a depth of 3000 m. In some deep structures, the pore pressure reaches almost sigma h. Horizontal principal stress orientations have been obtained by analysing breakout ovalisation as recorded on SHDT(R) or FMS(R) logs in 10 wells, over a depth range of 1 200-3 930 metres. The OVALE programme (developed by Elf Aquitaine Production) has been used to analyse the logs and identity the breakouts. Breakouts in the Tertiary sections indicate a consistent direction with oh oriented N 140. This direction could represent the regional stress field, although it is not in the same range as the stress regime in Western Europe. It could also be a local stress regime which affects the upper part of the sedimentary pile. In the Jurassic sections, the breakouts show no homogeneous direction. Here, sigma h is found varying from N-S, N 20 to E-W. In some places, the minimal horizontal stress is parallel to major normal faults oriented N-S to N 20, whereas in other places it is perpendicular to the same direction. The transverse faults could also have a local influence. It is also noticeable that there are no breakouts in two wells which are far away from faults. This lack of homogeneity is thought to be due to a near-isotropic situation for horizontal stresses, and it is clear that the complexity of the structures in the area largely influences the local stress field. A regional stress field where sigma V > sigma H greater than or equal to sigma h is probable. The direction of the main horizontal stress, sigma H, is N 50 in the undeformed Tertiary and Cretaceous formations, and a near isotropic situation characterizes the deep Jurassic structures. Because of the influence of some major faults on the stress distribution. It is not possible to use the orientation of stress to predict the main direction of fluid flow. it would also be difficult to predict preferential directions for hydraulic fracturing.