The research vessel ”Akademik Fersman” is now staring the collection of seismic data from three promising structures in the Sea of Okhotsk, the icy waters off Russia’s Pacific coast. The vessel has been commissioned by Statoil and Rosneft, and is component in the two companies’ comprehensive cooperation agreement.
According to the deal signed in May 2012, Statoil and Rosneft will jointly engage in exploration and production in the Kashevarovsky, Lisyansky and Magadan-1 licenses in the Okhotsk Sea. The licenses, obtained by Rosneft in 2011, are believed to hold up to 1,74 billion tons of oil equivalents.
The Sea of Okhotsk is considered a highly complicated area for shipping and industrial operations, considering the major volumes of ice in the area. In December 2011, the oil drilling rig Kolskaya capsized and sank in a storm in the area killing 67 people.
The ”Akademik Fersman” is on site and will be instrumental in the mapping of a total of about 10 thousand linear meters of 2D mapping in the area.
The cooperation agreement between the two companies also includes the development of the Perseevsky structure in the Barents Sea, as well as Rosneft’s acquisition of stakes on the Norwegian northern shelf.
The agreement envisages the establishment of development companies for the respective Russian areas of operations, in which Statoil will hold a 33,3 percent stake. Statoil will invest $60 million in the pilot part of the agreement, the company informs in a press release.
