Shtokman most likely to be delayed
Thomas Bernt from Shtokman Development AG to a great extent confirms earlier statements that the Shtokman project is most likely to be postponed. He does not rule out Kirkenes or Hammerfest as possible bases for the construction phase.
- The official start-up date is 2013, but nobody thinks this is likely to happen, Bernt says to the website Oilinfo.no.
One of the elements that will delay the project is last year’s decision to use a floating unit on the Shtokman field. Bernt, who leads the project on developing the offshore part of the Shtokman project, believes it will be impossible to put a floating unit in operation by 2013.
Bernt also told Oilinfo.no about plans to build a helicopter platform midway between land and the field. The helicopter flight from land to the Shtokman field will take about 2,5 hours.
StatoilHydro has 40 employees working on the project at offices in Moscow and Paris. The number will increase as the start-up draws near. The project will need about 10 000 employees in the construction phase, the Norwegian magazine Teknisk Ukeblad reports.
Bernt does not rule out Kirkenes of Hammerfest as possible bases during the construction, as these places have better infrastructure and competence than in Murmansk. The distance to the field is approximately the same.
Read also:
