Rosneft to spend billions on Arctic fleet
Russian state-owned oil major Rosneft says it by year 2030 will need to construct 193 oil exploration and production units as well as vessels in order to meet the objectives of its shelf development programme.
The oil company, the biggest in Russia, intends to acquire 31 offshore licenses, among them on the northern shelf. For the development of the fields, the company will need 22 stationary platforms and ten mobile drilling rigs, Oilru.com reports with reference to Rbc.ru. Experts say that the oil company will have to order the stationary platform in the market, while parts the rigs can be leased. In addition the company will need 82 support vessels, 45 tankers with 100,000 ton deadweight, 16 icebreakers and 18 vessels on seismic mapping. Estimates show that the necessary investments only in the 82 tankers will amount to up 135 billion RUB. The key question for Rosneft will not only be how to get the funding for the ambitious plans, but also how to find the places where to build the industrial units. Experts agree that Russian yards will not be able to cope with the many orders.
