Implementation of the Shtokman project will not damage the environment of the Barents Sea, claimed many participants in the Second Arctic International Economic Forum, rounding off in Murmansk on Sunday.
“There will be no compromises with safety at all stages of construction and development of the project,” said for instance representative of the Shtokman Development AG Frank Otefolt. His colleague Marat Sharifullin noted that Rostekhnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Environment and Technology) already approved the positive findings of the state ecological examination of design documentation.
“Specialists have fulfilled a great volume of engineering and ecological investigations,” he said. “To have complete data, explorations were conducted four seasons with the use of special vessels as well as aviation concerning 20 main indicators. Special attention was given to the coastal zone where there are populations of Kamchatka crabs and fish of valuable species.
Norwegian specialists, engaged in developing Arctic shelf deposits in the Norwegian Arctic zone, shared their experience of protection of marine biological resources. They expressed readiness to cooperate with Russian partners in this business.
The final results of the forum will be drawn up later, following the examination of all proposals by its participants. But it can be said even now for sure that “another big leap has been made in developing the Arctic shelf”, claimed president of the Murmansk Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Lebedev.
