Gazprom Begins Probe-drilling on Arctic Ocean Shelf

According to the press service of Gazprom, Russia's largest gas company, Gazflot, its 100% owned marine subsidiary, has towed the AMAZONE jack-up floating drilling rig from Murmansk to the Kara Sea. The rig is supposed to do probe-drilling in the Ob-Taz Bay. Three test holes are expected to be drilled over 2 months in order to determine the size of gas resource in the area.

The 6-year prospecting program to be done on the Kara Sea shelf was adopted by Gazprom in the year 2000. It includes the drilling of 35 test holes, their combined length 72,250 metres, seismic exploration, and engineering geological survey. To be completed, the program requires an investment of about USD 420 million.

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