18 September — Supported by Gazprom Neft, a photographic exhibition, “Conquering the Arctic: Time and Technology” has opened at the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. This exposition tells the story of the key stages in the scientific and industrial development of the Russian Far North, from the 19th century to the present day. The photographic collection is based on materials and documents from the collections of the Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive, the Centre for the Study of the History of the Russian Civil War, the Russian State Arctic and Antarctic Museum, the Central Naval Museum, the TASS photo archive, the Arseniev State Museum of the Primorsky Krai, the Murmansk Regional Museum of Local Lore, Marine Arctic Geological Expedition PJSC and the Iceberg Central Design Bureau PJSC.
Exhibition visitors are also presented with photography highlighting Gazprom Neft’s activities in the Arctic, with viewers able to gain an insight into the unique technological projects being implemented by the company in the Arctic Circle: exhibits here including photographs and materials illustrating the work of the Prirazlomnoye ice-resistant stationary platform (offshore rig) — the first in Russia to produce oil on the Russian Artic Shelf. A further symbol of Gazprom Neft’s technological leadership in the development of the Russian Far North is the Arctic Gates terminal, designed for oil shipments from the Novoportovskoye field.
Along with unique photographs and documents, the exposition highlighting Gazprom Neft’s activities in the Artic also includes multimedia materials, with exhibition visitors able to take a video tour of the new-generation Alexander Sannikov icebreaker, commissioned in June 2018. This high-tech vessel is equipped with the latest dynamic positioning and integrated control systems, and can maintain up to 40 days’ independent operation in extreme temperatures, as low as —50 degrees. The new icebreaker will support tankers from the Novoportovskoye field on the Northern Sea Route, and will contribute to ensuring year-round deliveries of Artic oil to the global market.
Opening the exhibition, Andrey Patrushev, Deputy CEO for Offshore Development, Gazprom Neft, stressed the company’s considerable attention to environmental safety in implementing projects in the Arctic region.
“The history of the Russian Far North is inextricably linked with the names of the Russian explorers and seafarers who have made a major contribution to developing the Arctic. This exposition represents a photographic chronicle of the heroism of the people responsible for making Russia a great Polar empire. For Gazprom Neft — as for all countries — developing the Artic is a strategic objective. We are successfully implementing projects in the Artic Circle that are unprecedented in Russia. Together with leading industry and academic organisations we are monitoring the status of ecosystems in the Pechora Sea. We are implementing programmes to support the Atlantic Walrus population in the north-east Barents Sea, and are researching the narwhal, a rare and mysterious government-protected aquatic creature. Our research has made it possible to identify the most vulnerable mammal species, and the manmade factors impacting them. Thanks to which, the company is improving environmental working standards,” stressed Patrushev.
The Novoportovskoye field is one of the most significant oil and gas condensate fields in the Yamal Peninsula currently under development. The operator on this project is Gazprom Neft subsidiary Gazpromneft-Yamal. The field is located some 30 kilometres offshore from the coast of the Gulf of Ob. Recoverable C1 and C2 reserves are estimated at more than 250 million tonnes of oil and gas condensate, as well as more than 320 billion cubic metres of gas. This oil has been designated a unique blend, being given the name “Novy Port” and being categorised as “light”. Gazprom Neft began shipping Novoportovskoye oil through the Arctic Gates transhipment terminal on 25 May 2016 — the only terminal in the world located in a freshwater zone. Ice surrounding the terminal can reach up to two metres thick during winter. In developing this unique engineering structure Gazprom Neft utilised the very latest technologies in industrial safety and environmental protection.
The Prirazlomnoe field is the only project on the Russian Arctic Shelf at which oil production is being undertaken (the first consignments of a new Russian “Arctic Oil (ARCO)” having been dispatched from the platform in April 2014). Production at the Prirazlomnoe thus far stands at more than eight million tonnes of oil. The licence to develop this field is held by Gazpromneft Shelf LLC, a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft. Initially discovered in 1989, the Prirazlomnoye oilfield is located in the Pechora Sea, 60 kilometres from the shore. Recoverable reserves are in the order of 70 million tonnes. The “Prirazlomnaya” ice-resistant offshore rig was designed specifically for development of this field, and is designed for use in the most extreme environmental and climatic conditions, as well as meeting the most stringent safety requirements and withstanding maximum ice loads.
