Tag: Russia

More than 50 crew dead or missing The sinking of a floating oil rig that left more than 50 crew dead or missing is intensifying fears that Russian companies searching for oil in remote areas are unprepared for emergencies - and could cause a disastrous spill in the pristine waters of the Arctic.Only four months ago, Russian energy giant Gazprom sent Russia's first oil platform to the environmentally sensitive region, and industry experts and environmentalists warned it is unfit for the harsh conditions and is too far from rescue crews to be reached quickly in case of an accident. They are demanding Russia put Arctic oil projects on hold.Russia is the world's largest oil producer, but it extracts most of its oil onshore, with no more than 2 percent of its production coming from mature offshore fields in the warm Black and Caspian seas and relatively new fields just off Sakhalin Island in the far east.As Russia's core oil fields in Eastern Siberia are depleted, companies are looking north. The government hopes that up to 80 million tons of oil will be produced annually in the Arctic by 2030.Russia is trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, which ...

Russian drilling rig sank with 67 people on board The owner of a Russian drilling rig which sank with 67 people on board in ice-cold seas said a raft has been seen in the water.The Kolskaya, which was working for state-controlled gas exporter Gazprom, sank whilst in transit 200km off Russia's Sakhalin island in the far east of the country.The four vessels and accompanying air support sent to the rig's aid were only able to rescue 14 people, whilst another 16 bodies were retrieved, as efforts were hindered by 20ft high waves and temperatures of -7 degrees Celsius.Rescuers had said it would be a "miracle" if anyone was found alive in the Sea of Okhotsk, which is a vast expanse of water more than twice the size of France.But slim hopes of finding survivors were raised when Andrei Bobrov - a spokesman for the owner of the rig - said navy aircraft had seen four orange rafts floating in the area."Aircraft from the Pacific fleet have found a raft. There are people on it," he said, adding that "it is impossible to say" whether anyone was alive after more than 24 hours adrift in such extreme conditions.The Emergencies Ministry, which ...

At least four people have died and about 50 are missing At least four people have died and about 50 are missing after an oil drilling rig sank in freezing seas in the Russian far east.The Kolskaya rig was being towed some 200km (125 miles) off Sakhalin island when it capsized in a fierce storm.Fourteen people have been rescued alive but it is feared the rig overturned before the rest of the 67 people on board could escape on to life rafts.Rescue efforts have been hampered by poor weather conditions.Helicopters and a plane helped scour the area amid high winds and waves of up to 12ft (4m) but the search was halted as night fell.Empty life rafts "According to reports from the scene of the rescue operation, the Kolskaya platform has sunk completely," the regional head of the emergencies ministry, Taimuraz Kasayev, told a news briefing.The accident in temperatures of -17C at around 14:00 local time (0200 GMT) in the Sea of Okhotsk happened as the rig was being towed from the eastern peninsula of Kamchatka to Sakhalin by an icebreaker and a tug.An unnamed regional emergencies ministry spokesman told the AFP news agency that the rig's portholes had been ...

Half a million tons of oil every year get into rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean On the bright yellow tundra outside this oil town near the Arctic Circle, a pitch-black pool of crude stretches toward the horizon. The source: a decommissioned well whose rusty screws ooze with oil, viscous like jam.This is the face of Russia's oil country, a sprawling, inhospitable zone that experts say represents the world's worst ecological oil catastrophe.Environmentalists estimate at least 1 percent of Russia's annual oil production, or 5 million tons, is spilled every year. That is equivalent to one Deepwater Horizon-scale leak about every two months. Crumbling infrastructure and a harsh climate combine to spell disaster in the world's largest oil producer, responsible for 13 percent of global output.Oil, stubbornly seeping through rusty pipelines and old wells, contaminates soil, kills all plants that grow on it and destroys habitats for mammals and birds. Half a million tons every year get into rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean, the government says, upsetting the delicate environmental balance in those waters.It's part of a legacy of environmental tragedy that has plagued Russia and the countries of its former Soviet empire for decades, from the ...

Says Prime Minister Vladimir Putin The Russian government will channel at least 400 billion rubles ($13 billion) into the development of shipping, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday."We plan to channel at least 400 billion rubles from federal resources into the development of shipping in the next 10 years," Putin said.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday signed a federal law that offers tax breaks and other incentives to domestic shipbuilding and shipping companies to stimulate their development.The law, already approved by the lower and upper houses of Russia's parliament, offers Russian shipyards the status of industrial and production special economic zones in a bid to boost their output.Russian shipyards will be exempt from land and property tax for 10 years while ship owners will also be tax-exempt from profits received from the operation or sale of Russian-built vessels.The new law will also exempt domestic shipbuilding and shipping companies from insurance payments to Russia's Pension, Social Insurance and Compulsory Medical Insurance Funds.Russia's shipping industry has experienced two decades of crisis caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union and disruptions in the supply chain across the country, and the country is now largely reliant on foreign shipyards for the construction ...

To ensure the ship's safety during the voyage and visits to foreign ports Russia and Italy began on Monday the Ionex-2011 naval exercises in the Ionian Sea with the focus on joint antiterrorism and anti-piracy operations.Russia is represented by the Smetlivy patrol ship and the Epron rescue boat from the Black Sea Fleet, while Italy has sent the Espero and the Aviere frigates.The Smetlivy is carrying a naval infantry unit to take part in the drills and to ensure the ship's safety during the voyage and visits to foreign ports.The Ionex joint exercises in the Mediterannean are held on a regular basis to enhance interoperability between the Russian and Italian navies.In 2010 the Ionex exercises off Sicily involved Russia's patrol ship Ladny and the rescue tugboat Shakhter and the Italian frigates Artiglieri and Aliseo.Source: RIA Novosti

About 30 attacks have been reported Russia is ready to join international efforts to curb sea piracy in the Gulf of Guinea where about 30 attacks on commercial ships have been registered since the beginning of 2011, Russia's envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin said.Speaking at the Security Council meeting on Growing Piracy Problem in Gulf of Guinea on Wednesday, Churkin expressed serious concern at the upsurge of crime at sea off the west coast of Africa, some of which directly affected Russian citizens.In one of the recent attacks, Nigerian pirates seized the MT Cape Bird, a tanker with a crew of 20, including five Russians, in waters off Lagos on October 8. The crew was released on October 14."These attacks are a serious crime that threatens security, including the security and safety of Russian citizens, and we intend to make this problem our priority," Churkin said, adding that a coordinated anti-piracy strategy with West and Central African states was needed."We are ready to consider possible cooperation with these countries and regional blocs based on Russia's own experience in the area," the diplomat said.Russia has been successfully fighting sea piracy off the Somali coast since 2008. Task forces from the ...

Anti-piracy mission to supress piracy A new Russian naval task force will arrive on Wednesday in the Gulf of Aden to continue the ongoing anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.The task force from the Pacific Fleet includes the Udaloy class Admiral Panteleyev missile destroyer, the Butoma supply tanker and the Fotiy Krylov salvage tugboat."The ships are sailing in the Indian Ocean at present. The crew is healthy, and the equipment and armaments are in order," the official said.The previous Russian task force led by the Udaloy class Severomorsk destroyer from the Northern Fleet concluded its anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden in mid-September and set sail for its home base in northern Russia.The task force stayed in the area from June 17 and has successfully escorted eleven convoys consisting of 38 commercial vessels from various countries along the shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.The Russian Navy has maintained a presence off the Somali coast since October 2008, with warships operating on a rotating basis.Admiral Panteleyev carried out its previous anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden from late April to early June, 2009.Source: RIA Novosti

Russia says it will start geological oil and gas exploration in one year Russia says it will start geological oil and gas exploration of the promising Barents Sea shelf near Norway in 2012.After reaching a key agreement with Norway over arctic maritime borders last year, Russia will embark on developing large fields in the border zones, Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev told RIA Novosti Thursday."Forty-year-long talks have finished. We can now start working jointly. Norway has already begun seismic surveys in its part of the shelf. Russia plans to begin work in 2012," Trutnev said.Analysts say the West Arctic oil and gas shelf province, which the Russian-Norwegian border agreement runs through, may compensate for falling oil production in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.Forecasts suggest the region of the Barents Sea contains reserves of some 10 billion to 12 billion tons of fuel equivalent.The ecological safety of any drilling in the region and the subsequent transportation of oil and gas would be a top priority for Russia, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said.Source: UPI

WMTC 2012 will welcome the marine, maritime and offshore communities to St Petersburg "There is no doubt that we need support from around the world," said Vladimir L Alexandrov, President, Science & Technology Society of Shipbuilders of the Russian Federation (NTOS named after A.N. Krylov) explaining why Russia looks forward to hosting the World Maritime Technology Conference (WMTC 2012) in St Petersburg from 29 May - 1 June 2012."We have been preparing for the past two years for WMTC 2012 and look forward to welcoming the marine, maritime and offshore communities to St Petersburg. We have very positive views about the support available from shipbuilders and marine engineers from all over the world."With its theme 'Uniting Ideas for a Global Future' WMTC 2012 is supported by 25 key maritime organisations from around the world including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, UK and USA. Endorsed by Igor Sechin, Vice-Premier of the Russian Federation and Chairman of both the United Shipbuilding Corporation and Rosneft, and six ministries of the Russian Federation, it is set to attract all sectors of the global shipbuilding; marine science, technology and engineering; ...