MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - Rosneft and ExxonMobil have started 2D seismic exploration missions at the Anisinsko-Novosibirsky and Ust-Oleneksky license blocks in the Laptev Sea and plan to acquire up to 6,000 linear kilometers by the end of October, according to a statement published on Rosneft’s website Tuesday.
“Alongside geophysical research a license-wide bathymetric survey of the seabed with multibeam echo sounders will be carried out to define depth and study seabed topography. A modern research vessel Academik Fersman will be engaged in the survey carried out by Dalmorneftegeophysica,” Rosneft said in the statement.
The aim of the research is to collect regional data on the geological structure of resources and to detect promising oil-and-gas objectives for further analysis.
Geological prospecting work in the Laptev Sea is conducted in accordance with the license and the environmental protection legislation of the Russian Federation.
Rosneft’s subsidiary, RN-Shelf Far East, is conducting the surveys in the Laptev Sea.
ExxonMobil is an American multinational oil and gas corporation that has been closely working with Rosneft in various parts of Russia. In August 2011 Rosneft and ExxonMobil signed a strategic cooperation agreement that included joint exploration and production of oil in Russia, the United States and other parts of the world, as well as sharing of technology and expertise.
Since then, the two companies have signed several agreements to implement a series of multibillion-dollar exploration projects established under the cooperation agreement, the current 2D exploration being among them.
Despite speculations, the latest round of US and EU economic sanctions against Russia will not have a near-term impact on ExxonMobil, Nasdaq reported on its website Sunday.
