diff --git a/ApplicationLibCode/ProjectDataModel/RimMainPlotCollection.cpp b/ApplicationLibCode/ProjectDataModel/RimMainPlotCollection.cpp
index c738d8da65..c39cd23da0 100644
--- a/ApplicationLibCode/ProjectDataModel/RimMainPlotCollection.cpp
+++ b/ApplicationLibCode/ProjectDataModel/RimMainPlotCollection.cpp
@@ -196,34 +196,31 @@ void RimMainPlotCollection::initAfterRead()
 
     // Move cross plots into summary plot collection
     auto crossPlots = m_summaryCrossPlotCollection_OBSOLETE->plots();
-    if ( !crossPlots.empty() )
+    for ( auto crossPlot : crossPlots )
     {
+        m_summaryCrossPlotCollection_OBSOLETE->removePlot( crossPlot );
+
         auto* summaryMultiPlot = new RimSummaryMultiPlot;
         summaryMultiPlot->setMultiPlotTitle( QString( "Multi Plot %1" ).arg( m_summaryMultiPlotCollection->multiPlots().size() + 1 ) );
         summaryMultiPlot->setAsPlotMdiWindow();
         m_summaryMultiPlotCollection->addSummaryMultiPlot( summaryMultiPlot );
 
-        for ( auto crossPlot : crossPlots )
-        {
-            m_summaryCrossPlotCollection_OBSOLETE->removePlot( crossPlot );
-            summaryMultiPlot->addPlot( crossPlot );
-
-            // We want to convert RimSummaryCrossPlot into a RimSummaryPlot. The cross plot is derived from RimSummaryPlot, but we need to
-            // create a new RimSummaryPlot to be able to store the PDM object as a RimSummaryPlot instead of RimSummaryCrossPlot
-            auto summaryPlot = new RimSummaryPlot;
-            summaryMultiPlot->addPlot( summaryPlot );
-
-            for ( auto curve : crossPlot->allCurves( RimSummaryDataSourceStepping::Axis::Y_AXIS ) )
-            {
-                crossPlot->removeCurve( curve );
+        // We want to convert RimSummaryCrossPlot into a RimSummaryPlot. The cross plot is derived from RimSummaryPlot, but we need to
+        // create a new RimSummaryPlot to be able to store the PDM object as a RimSummaryPlot instead of RimSummaryCrossPlot
+        auto summaryPlot = new RimSummaryPlot;
+        summaryMultiPlot->addPlot( summaryPlot );
 
-                if ( curve->summaryCaseX() != nullptr ) curve->setAxisTypeX( RiaDefines::HorizontalAxisType::SUMMARY_VECTOR );
+        for ( auto curve : crossPlot->allCurves( RimSummaryDataSourceStepping::Axis::Y_AXIS ) )
+        {
+            crossPlot->removeCurve( curve );
 
-                summaryPlot->insertCurve( curve, std::numeric_limits<size_t>::max() );
-            }
+            if ( curve->summaryCaseX() != nullptr ) curve->setAxisTypeX( RiaDefines::HorizontalAxisType::SUMMARY_VECTOR );
 
-            delete crossPlot;
+            summaryPlot->insertCurve( curve, std::numeric_limits<size_t>::max() );
+            summaryPlot->findOrAssignPlotAxisX( curve );
         }
+
+        delete crossPlot;
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/ApplicationLibCode/ProjectDataModel/Summary/RimSummaryPlot.cpp b/ApplicationLibCode/ProjectDataModel/Summary/RimSummaryPlot.cpp
index f7328aa823..66dfb20a8a 100644
--- a/ApplicationLibCode/ProjectDataModel/Summary/RimSummaryPlot.cpp
+++ b/ApplicationLibCode/ProjectDataModel/Summary/RimSummaryPlot.cpp
@@ -644,7 +644,11 @@ void RimSummaryPlot::copyAxisPropertiesFromOther( RiaDefines::PlotAxis plotAxisT
 
         QString data = ap->writeObjectToXmlString();
 
-        axisPropertiesForPlotAxis( ap->plotAxis() )->readObjectFromXmlString( data, caf::PdmDefaultObjectFactory::instance() );
+        auto axisProperty = axisPropertiesForPlotAxis( ap->plotAxis() );
+        if ( axisProperty )
+        {
+            axisProperty->readObjectFromXmlString( data, caf::PdmDefaultObjectFactory::instance() );
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -1237,20 +1241,39 @@ void RimSummaryPlot::findOrAssignPlotAxisX( RimSummaryCurve* curve )
         }
     }
 
-    if ( curve->summaryCaseX() != nullptr && plotWidget() && plotWidget()->isMultiAxisSupported() )
+    if ( curve->summaryCaseX() != nullptr )
     {
-        QString axisObjectName = "New Axis";
-        if ( !curve->summaryAddressX().uiText().empty() ) axisObjectName = QString::fromStdString( curve->summaryAddressX().uiText() );
-
-        RiuPlotAxis newPlotAxis = plotWidget()->createNextPlotAxis( RiaDefines::PlotAxis::PLOT_AXIS_BOTTOM );
-        addNewAxisProperties( newPlotAxis, axisObjectName );
-        if ( plotWidget() )
+        if ( !plotWidget() )
         {
-            plotWidget()->ensureAxisIsCreated( newPlotAxis );
+            // Assign a default bottom axis if no plot widget is present. This can happens during project load and transformation to new
+            // cross plot structure in RimMainPlotCollection::initAfterRead()
+
+            QString axisObjectName = "New Axis";
+            if ( !curve->summaryAddressX().uiText().empty() ) axisObjectName = QString::fromStdString( curve->summaryAddressX().uiText() );
+
+            RiuPlotAxis newPlotAxis = RiuPlotAxis::defaultBottomForSummaryVectors();
+            addNewAxisProperties( newPlotAxis, axisObjectName );
+
+            curve->setTopOrBottomAxisX( newPlotAxis );
+
+            return;
         }
 
-        updateAxes();
-        curve->setTopOrBottomAxisX( newPlotAxis );
+        if ( plotWidget()->isMultiAxisSupported() )
+        {
+            QString axisObjectName = "New Axis";
+            if ( !curve->summaryAddressX().uiText().empty() ) axisObjectName = QString::fromStdString( curve->summaryAddressX().uiText() );
+
+            RiuPlotAxis newPlotAxis = plotWidget()->createNextPlotAxis( RiaDefines::PlotAxis::PLOT_AXIS_BOTTOM );
+            addNewAxisProperties( newPlotAxis, axisObjectName );
+            if ( plotWidget() )
+            {
+                plotWidget()->ensureAxisIsCreated( newPlotAxis );
+            }
+
+            updateAxes();
+            curve->setTopOrBottomAxisX( newPlotAxis );
+        }
     }
 }