diff --git a/ApplicationLibCode/FileInterface/RifSurfaceImporter.cpp b/ApplicationLibCode/FileInterface/RifSurfaceImporter.cpp
index 5ad12dd943..548ba9671a 100644
--- a/ApplicationLibCode/FileInterface/RifSurfaceImporter.cpp
+++ b/ApplicationLibCode/FileInterface/RifSurfaceImporter.cpp
@@ -465,6 +465,8 @@ std::pair<std::vector<cvf::Vec3d>, std::vector<unsigned>> RifSurfaceImporter::re
         }
     }
 
+    if ( surfacePoints.size() == 0 ) return { {}, {} };
+
     // Determine axes vectors
     std::vector<std::pair<cvf::Vec2d, unsigned>> pairs;
     for ( auto itr = axesVectorCandidatesNum.begin(); itr != axesVectorCandidatesNum.end(); ++itr )