Rosneft and ExxonMobil install world’s largest topside at Sakhalin-1

The adjustment works will be finished in a matter of days. The upper part of the platform has been hauled approximately 2,600 kilometres from its Korean shipyard with no incidents to report.

The process of adjusting platform equipment was inspected on Monday by Rosneft head Igor Sechin and Sakhalin region governor Alexander Khoroshavin.

The weight of the platform (upper and lower parts) exceeds 200,000 tonnes. The Arkutun-Dagi platform will be situated 25 kilometres from the shore, at water depths of up to 35 metres.

The start of exploitation at the Arkutun-Dagi field is expected in December this year.

The Berkut platform was designed especially for working in harsh subarctic conditions and can oppose waves up to 18 metres high, ice flow pressure up to 2-metres thick and temperatures as low as -44° C.

The exploitation of Arkutun-Dagi field will increase the projects total annual extraction by 4.5 million tonnes.

Sakhalin-1 is the first shelf project realised in Russian Federation on PSA terms (forged in 1996).

The project includes the exploitation of three deposits – Chaivo, Odopta and Arkutun-Dagi, situated at North East shelf of Sakhalin Island in water area of Okhotsk Sea.

The exploitation of deposits is performed in several steps: the first is the exploitation of Chaivo oil deposit (started in 2005) and Odoptu field. The third step presupposes the exploitation (from 2014) of Arkutun-Dagi oil deposit. The life cycle of the project will last up to 2040-2050

The shares of project participants:

Rosneft – 20 per cent

ExxonMobil – 30 per cent

Sodeco – 30 per cent

ONGC Videsh. – 20 per cent