Rosneft puts Murmansk, Russia project on ice
The oil company intended to turn the Roslaykovo shipyard outside Murmansk into a major base for its Arctic operations.
Now all plans are put on hold.
”Rosneft is reconsidering its time schedules for the plans”, Murmansk Deputy Governor Aleksey Tyukavin confirms. According to the official, Rosneft will re-engage in the area no earlier than in 3-5 years.
”There are too big uncertainties about the rouble rates and the oil price”, Tyukavin says.
Meanwhile, the Roslyakovo shipyard will continue to serve the Northern Fleet and conduct repair works on Navy vessels. With the booming Russian defence budgets, the number of repair orders from the military is plenty. The yard has full order books for several years ahead, Murman.ru reports with reference to Rossiiskaya Gazeta.
Planned operations
Rosneft in 2013 announced that it wanted to place a lion’s share of its planned Arctic base operations in Roslyakovo. The new base would include various functions, among them service facilities for drilling rigs and oil plaforms. As many as 1500 new jobs was to be created at the base, the company said.
Regional authorities in Murmansk soon started preparations for the coming of the oil company and the Roslyakovo town was from 1 January this year officially taken out of the closed military territory of Severomorsk and included in the city of Murmansk. That transition was necessary for the development of major non-military operations, Rosneft said. Now, Shipyard No 82 will continue to serve the military. But the people of Roslyakov will live outside a closed military zone.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Will Russia’s actions in Ukraine affect relations in the Arctic Council?, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Rouble collapse hits Finland, Forex stops buying Russian currency, Yle News
Iceland: From Arctic Circle 2013-2014, a big drop in the price of oil, Blog by Mia Bennett
Norway: Currency drama has little impact on tourism in Barents region, Barents Observer
Russia: Russian crisis money for Novatek’s Yamal LNG project, Barents Observer
Sweden: Falling oil prices benefit Sweden, Radio Sweden
United States: Economist reflects on 100 years of shifting fortunes in Anchorage, Alaska Dispatch News
