The field season of seismic prospecting for oil and gas deposits on the shelves of Sakhalin Island and the Kamchatka Peninsula has been completed, Itar-Tass reports. Prospecting for hydrocarbon fuel deposits has been conducted by three geophysical exploration vessels of the Sakhalin-based Dalmorneftegeophysics (DMNG) Company and the Norwegian PGS Asia Pacific Company.
DMNG General Director Eduard Kropp said Thursday that the shelves of Sakhalin and Kamchatka had been explored on an area of 4,400 square kilometres. Geophysicists are busy compiling geological maps, on the strength of which oilmen are to determine points for the drilling of exploratory wells. Drilling proper is to be done in summer 2008.
The geophysical vessels Orient Explorer, Ramford Victory, and the Zephyr-1, which conducted seismic survey off Sakhalin and Kamchatka, on Thursday are heading for Indonesia and Australia where they will also do prospecting for hydrocarbon fuel deposits on the shelves of those countries. The vessels are adapted to towing special-purpose devices by means of which they probe into the seabed subsoil and produce a map of oil deposits.
The three vessels are to return to the Russian shores only when the Far Eastern seas are ice-free again and it will be possible to resume prospecting for oil and gas on the shelves of Sakhalin, Kamchatka, and Magadan Region.