Two sub-project agreements on environmental and industrial development in the Murmansk region have been concluded by Statoil with the local county authorities for this part of north-west Russia.
The contracts were signed in Murmansk on 15 February in the presence of governor Yuri Yevdokimov and Norway's foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
"Both Statoil and the Murmansk region have a shared interest in strengthening the level of activity in the north," says Henrik Carlsen, head of Statoil’s Barents Sea commitment. "At the same time, we both want to facilitate further cooperation."
The environmental project agreement entails transferring Norwegian oil spill response equipment to the Russian emergency response organisation at the Murmansk State Technical University (MSTU). Statoil will assist with training and preparation of the equipment at MSTU.
A laboratory is also to be established to analyse samples from all international oil cargoes from the Russian area. Statoil is to provide financial support, training and technical assistance.
Under the industrial development agreement, a supplier development centre is to be set up by the Murmansk county authority. Statoil will assist with the establishment of a local business and industry interest group based on experiences from the Snøhvit development, as well as providing financial and technical support.
The sub-project contracts are linked to an agreement on technical and economic collaboration which was concluded in August 2005. The deal reflects a shared grasp of the need for a systematic approach to local and regional development of oil and gas operations in the Barents Sea and the Murmansk region.