Gazprom’s delegation led by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee has finalized its business trip to the Northwestern region.

Today in Saint Petersburg Gazprom’s delegation visited Krylov Shipbuilding Research Institute and got acquainted with its unique laboratories, the latest research developments and the test base.

Alexander Ananenkov held a meeting on the placement of Gazprom’s orders with Russian shipbuilding companies to create marine equipment for offshore areas development and liquefied and compressed natural gas transportation, as well as vessels for constructing offshore gas pipelines.

Taking part in the meeting were heads and experts from Gazprom’s specialized subdivisions and subsidiaries – Gazprom dobycha shelf, Gazflot, Giprospetsgaz, Gazprom komplektatsiya, Yamalgazinvest, as well as United Industrial Corporation, Vyborg Shipyard, Krylov Shipbuilding Research Institute and Mezhregiontruboprovodstroy.

The meeting participants discussed the mutual efforts on launching in Russia the construction of methane carriers including for LNG transportation from the Shtokman project. In particular, negotiations with Russian shipbuilders had been conducted and framework agreements had been elaborated with regard to LNG carriers construction until 2020.

Representatives of the shipbuilding industry submitted information concerning the plans to create at Russian plants the appropriate capacities that would construct methane carriers for Gazprom with the cargo capacity exceeding 155,000 cubic meters and 215,000 cubic meters.

Based on the meeting results Gazprom’s specialized subdivisions and subsidiaries were engaged with the tasks on furthering the cooperation between the Company and Russian shipbuilders.

Background:

The initial aggregate hydrocarbon resources of Russia’s continental shelf average 100 billion tons of fuel equivalent, of which 80 per cent is gas. The bulk of the hydrocarbon resources (around 70 per cent) is concentrated in the Barents, Pechora and Kara Seas, with gas and condensate prevailing in the Barents and Kara, and oil – in the Pechora Sea.

Gazprom considers the Barents, Kara, Pechora and Caspian Sea shelves, the Ob and Taz Bays offshore areas, the Sea of Okhotsk shelf, including the Sakhalin Island and West Kamchatka offshore to be most promising.

The Program for Gazprom’s activities aimed at hydrocarbon resources development on the Russian Federation shelf until 2030 was elaborated and adopted in September 2005 in the aim of arranging operations in offshore fields.

The Program covers comprehensive and staged development of offshore hydrocarbon resources, application of modern highly efficient technological solutions across the entire process chain with due regard to the advanced global expertise.

Until 2020 Gazprom, in order to develop the continental shelf, will need more than ten drilling and processing platforms, over 60 vessels and waterborne vehicles of various types and at least 23 LNG carriers. At the same time Gazprom is striving to maximally engage the domestic shipbuilding potential.

At present, Russia’s shipbuilders are fulfilling Gazprom’s orders to manufacture facilities for the Arctic shelf development.

Sevmash Production Association (Severodvinsk) is constructing the Prirazlomnaya offshore ice-resistant stationary platform and Zvezdochka Shiprepairing Center – the Arkticheskaya jack-up floating drilling rig, while Vyborg Shipyard is working on the Severnoye Siyaniye (Polar Lights) and Polyarnaya Zvezda (Polar Star) semi-submersible drilling rigs.

Gazprom has arranged engineering of technical facilities for the Russian shelf development. Pursuant to Gazprom’s order, the Krylov Shipbuilding Research Institute has elaborated the conceptual design of an offshore ice-resistant drilling rig, the engineering design for eleven vessels to ensure offshore fields development; the engineering design of a semi-submersible drilling rig is underway. The Institute is also working out the Program for Waterborne Vehicles Construction and Utilization When Developing Offshore Oil and Gas Fields until 2030.