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.
Oil Minister Ola Borten Moe says he takes the signals from local fisheries seriously and therefore doesn’t recommend opening of Norway’s Lofoten area for petroleum activities now.
Oleg Mnatsakanyan, the former leader of the AMNGR company in Murmansk, is sentenced for his dubious leasing of a state-owned drilling ship to a Norwegian company.
Lukoil’s oil terminal on the Pechora Sea coast in 2012 had a 20 percent drop in both exports and revenues. But shipments are expected to bounce back in 2013.
BARENTS SEA: Delimitation agreement with Norway was part of a broader Russian strategy to secure stability in the Arctic, argues researcher Arild Moe as the Nansen Expedition sails through the waters in question.
However, still no oil in the Johan Castberg area in the Barents Sea, so the search for exploitable oil resources in the neighboring prospects continues for Statoil.
Oil companies are eager to drill in the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea, but might be reluctant to take on the highly perspective waters near the border to Russia.
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.
