Vladimir Putin gave the signal via video linkup to start exploratory drilling operations at the West Alpha rig (Universitetskaya-1 site) in the Kara Sea, Kremlin’s press center says. This project is being jointly implemented by Rosneft and ExxonMobil.
Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and President of ExxonMobil Russia Glenn Waller attended the launch ceremony on the drilling platform in the Kara Sea.
Drilling at the Universitetskaya-1 site, the northernmost oil rig in Russia, will take place in open waters during the ice-free drilling season from August through to late October. The West Alpha rig has undergone additional modernisation to enable it to operate in the Arctic waters and has been furnished with innovative ice control equipment and a system for avoiding collisions with icebergs.
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