Languages

Sankt Petersburg’s key role in the Arctic

Putin in Admiralty Shipyard (government.ru)

In his first official visit as prime minister, Vladimir Putin today visited the Admiralty Shipyard outside Sankt Petersburg. The visit comes as the shipyards in Sankt Petersburg are taking on a key role in the development of Russian shipping and the construction of offshore equipment

Location

In his meetings with the Admiralty Shipyard, Mr. Putin discussed questions regarding the development of the Russian ship building industry, the Russian government website reports.

Mr. Putin’s visit comes few days after Deputy Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee, Mr. Aleksandr Ananenkov, met with representatives of the city’s Northern Shipyard to discuss the yard’s role in the development of Arctic oil and gas projects.

From before, the Vyborg Shipyard, located outside the same city, is going to construct two platforms for the project in the Barents Sea.

According to newspaper Korabelnaya Storona, Gazprom in the meeting with the Nothern Shipyard discussed the construction of drilling rigs for the Shtokman and Prirazlomnoe fields, as well as for operations in the Ob and Tazov Bays. Also the construction of service ships and tankers was on the meeting agenda.

Russia is in major need of new ships and equipment for its ambitious Arctic oil and gas projects. The shipyards in Sankt Petersburg look set to take on a key role in the development of the projects.