Billions are invested in the Zvezda yard outside Vladivostok to make it capable of meeting Russia’s growing demand for ice-protected ships and platforms.
There’s nothing new about placing bets on horse races or sports teams. But now, thanks to a program called WellBet, people can try their luck at betting on oil and gas exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Drilling has begun at the Bjaaland prospect in the Barents Sea, southeast of Bear Island, after the Norwegian government rejected a recent complaint from Greenpeace about the proposed well.
Russia believes Norway is violating the Svalbard Treaty when the Norwegian government opens three blocks for oil drilling in the Barents Sea, close to the Arctic archipelago.
The government proposes the adoption of a Norwegian-style license model for the shelf, but encounters fierce protest from state companies Rosneft and Gazprom.
”This will generate value for the Norwegian people for decades,” says Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tord Lien with the thumb up for Arctic drilling as the Goliat platform arrives Hammerfest.
