November 2012, Vol. 239 No. 11

Projects

Feasibility Study For Arctic Drilling Platform

Rosneft and ExxonMobil has selected Vostochniy Offshore Structures Construction Yard to conduct a concept evaluation and feasibility study for a platform capable of safely exploring Kara Sea’s shallow waters.

Key attributes of the platform concept are safety and environmental protection measures for operating in Arctic conditions and the ability to withstand extreme ice, wind, wave and temperature conditions.

The study will evaluate the feasibility of utilizing a gravity base structure that could extend the drilling season by several months. Designed to operate in up to 200 feet of water, the structure with drilling equipment would be installed on the seabed to drill a well and then would be refloated and moved.

The agreement for the study was signed by Igor Sechin, Rosneft president and Chairman of the Management Board; Stephen M. Greenlee, president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company; and Alexey Kozhemyakov, CEO of Vostochniy Offshore Structures Construction Yard in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation.