SOVCOMFLOT: 4 MILLION TONS OF OIL FROM PRIRAZLOMNAYA

To date Gazprom Neft has extracted 4 million tonnes of ARCO (Arctic Oil) oil from the Prirazlomnaya Platform, the only project on the Russian Arctic shelf that produces oil on an industrial scale. The Sovcomflot (SCF) shuttle tanker Kirill Lavrov safely transported the 4 millionth tonne becoming the 60th shipment since extractions from this Arctic field commenced in 2014. In 2017, the Prirazlomnoe Field is expected to yield about 2.6 million tonnes of Arctic oil. In 2016, 2.15 million tonnes were produced, a volume more than 2.5 times higher than in 2015. For the transportation of oil from the Prirazlomnaya Platform, two SCF Arctic shuttle tankers are involved, Mikhail Ulyanov and Kirill Lavrov, designed for year-round safe oil shipment in the Arctic. Both vessels were built to the orders of Sovcomflot at the Admiralty Shipyards of St. Petersburg, specifically to support the Prirazlomnoe Project operations. Both tankers are of the Panamax type; their deadweight is 70,000 tonnes, the length is 257 meters and the width34 meters. Both vessels have Arc6 ice class and are distinguished by their high icebreaking capability and, thanks to Azipod-type propulsion installations, may independently overcome ice with a thickness of up to 1.2 meters when navigating stern-first.
The Prirazlomnoe Oil Field was discovered in 1989 and is located in the Pechora Sea 60 km off the coast. The recoverable oil reserves are estimated at over 70 million tonnes. For its development, the Prirazlomnaya Offshore Ice-Resistant Fixed Platform (OIRFP) was built. It was designed for operation in extreme natural and climatic conditions and meets latest safety requirements and may withstand maximum ice loads. (Source: Sovcomflot – Image: Mikhail Ulyanov tanker loading crude oil from Prirazlomnoye platform / Gazpromneft)