The Novoportovskoye field is one of Gazprom Neft’s key projects in the Arctic, and one of the largest oil and gas condensate fields under development on the Yamal Peninsula. Field development on this project is unique in the oil and gas industry. Located in the Yamalsky District of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, 30 km from the coast of the Gulf of Ob, recoverable reserves stand at 248 million tonnes of oil and condensate, and 266 bcm of gas. A total 14.87 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe) were produced in 2002, five percent higher than in 2019.

Full-scale production drilling at the Novoportovskoye field started in the summer of 2014. The “Arctic Gates” oil loading terminal, located in the waters of the Gulf of Ob, 3.5 km from the settlement of Cape Kammeny, was commissioned in May 2016, making it possible to transport oil all year round. Oil is delivered from the field to the coast through a pressure pipeline (with capacity for 8.9 million tonnes per year, and running to 100 km in length), before being loaded onto tankers from the terminal and despatched to customers via the Northern Sea Route.

The Arctic Gates facility means the highest possible industrial and environmental safety standards can be maintained, under Arctic conditions. The terminal stands at more than 80 metres high, is equipped with an automatic safety and oil-spill protection system, and is controlled remotely, without any on-site staff.

Oil produced at the Novoportovskoye field is unique in its characteristics, being designated a unique light low-sulphur oil (around 0.1%) and assigned its own grade — “Novy Port” crude.

A fleet capable of operating in Arctic latitudes has been built to order for Gazprom Neft, specifically for transporting this crude, with seven 42,000-tonne-deadweight Arc7 tankers and two Arc130A 8-class icebreakers (the Andrey Vilkitsky and the Aleksandr Sannikov) sailing under the Russian flag. These tankers are noted for their high manoeuvrability, can overcome ice up to 1.8 metres thick at the stern and up to 1.4 thick at the bow, and can navigate passages previously cleared by icebreakers. Each vessel is equipped with bow-loading gear allowing it to be attached to the terminal to receive oil.

The Andrey Vilkitsky and Aleksandr Sannikov icebreakers can operate at temperatures as low as −50°C. They ensure tankers’ safe approach to the Arctic Gates terminal, and can perform a wide range of tasks under challenging ice conditions, including mooring operations, towing, and protecting the terminal from the impacts of major ice loads.

A key feature of these icebreakers is their ability to run on “zero emissions”, with no risk to the environment. All solid and liquid wastes are stored onboard and recycled onshore, using specialist services.

The central processing facility (CPF) at the Novoportovskoye field is being expanded to become a fully-fledged gas processing plant as part of the Yamal Gas project, with capacity for 15-billion bcm of dry-stripped gas, up to one million tonnes of stable gas condensate, and 710,000 tonnes of natural gas liquids (NGLs) per year — all of which may be increased, going forward.

The gas pipeline runs to a total 115.5 km in length, with the subsea section (some 58.4 km) laid five metres below the seabed.