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.
The required 70 percent engagement of Russian companies in offshore energy projects will put a stop to Russia’s ambitious plans on the shelf, the company fears.
A group of 17 oil and gas companies are joining forces in mapping Norwegian Arctic waters adjacent to the Russian border. Port director Eivind Gade-Lundlie in Kirkenes is ready to give the oil explorers a smooth welcome.
State-owned Rosneft looks set to take over a majority stake in the Murmansk Transport Hub and to invest in new regional terminal facilities. But the company first wants to find oil in the Kara Sea.
Gazprom Neft is preparing for the construction of another two ice-protected oil platforms designed for the icy waters of the Pechora Sea. They will be placed only few kilometers from the much-debated “Prirazlomnaya”.
Russian authorities continue hydrocarbon mapping in Arctic waters and will strengthen its regional geopolitical position, including in the Spitsbergen archipelago.
Foreign Ministry, regional politicians and environmentalists on the Norwegian side of the border are worried by the prolonged operation of oldest Kola NPP reactors.
