Today the Scientific-Research Institute of Natural Gases and Gas Technologies (VNIIGAZ) has hosted the International Conference on Safety of Offshore Facilities (SOF-2007). A Gazprom delegation attended the meeting.

The opening speech on behalf of the Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee highlighted that the large-scale exploration of oil and gas fields in Russia would be an important part of energy security of Russia as well as a whole range of players of the global fuel and energy market.

Gazprom examines the Russian shelf as a perspective region for hydrocarbon field development. According to the forecasts the total initial reserves of Russia’s shelf are at nearly 100 bln of fuel equivalent, where the major portion of reserves (nearly 85 tcm) consists of natural gas.

The major discovered and forecasted hydrocarbon reserves on Russia’s shelf are concentrated in the Arctic Seas offshore area, where Gazprom provides geological survey activities. In near future the Company plans to develop the Prirazlomnoye oil field and unique Stockman gas condensate field, which will export Russian gas via the Nord Stream gas pipeline as well as become a basis for LNG production and deliveries via the shipping route to long-distance markets.

The opening speech ended with the statement that issues relegated to offshore oil and gas field development and utilization are tightly concerned with issues related to offshore facilities security and reliability. The necessity of the synchronized examination of issues related to security of offshore hydrocarbon production and transportation identifies the importance and topicality of the International Conference.

The Conference will last for two days and will end up on October 31.

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In the frames of the International Conference Security of Offshore Facilities the meeting of the following technical sections will be held: Industrial Security, Risk Analysis, Environmental Security, Sustainable Functioning during Extreme Impacts, where scientists and specialists will discuss relevant issues related to security and reliability of offshore oil and gas facilities including underwater production complexes, marine platforms, underwater pipelines, terminals for liquid hydrocarbons as well as issues related to security of tanker shipments and environment security.

Founded in 1948, VNIIGAZ is the major Research & Development, Technology & Engineering Center of Gazprom involved in the resource base development, gas and condensate production, transmission and processing as well as in the gas industry environmental and industrial safety promotion.

In 2001 the Institute obtained the status of a research center. At present, VNIIGAZ employs over 1,500 highly qualified specialists (including 50 Doctors of Sciences and 250 Candidates of Sciences), houses the only Post-Graduate Studies School in the gas industry and has two Dissertation Councils within the RF Education Ministry’s Higher Certification Commission.