Sakhalin-1 Loads 500th Tanker of Oil
Exxon Neftegas Limited,on behalf of Sakhalin-1 Consortium, announced today loading of the 500th tanker with crude oil at the Sakhalin-1 De-Kastri Terminal in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia.
Tanker operations began in the fall of 2006, and a total of 47 million tons (356 million barrels) of oil have been safely loaded.
“Sakhalin-1 has achieved safe year-round tanker operations that continue when the sea is under thick ice cover,” says James Taylor, President of ENL, Sakhalin-1 operator. “This achievement has been made possible through international cooperation within Sakhalin-1 Consortium employing world leading technologies and arctic experience of ENL’s parent ExxonMobil”.
To load the crude oil on tankers, a Single Point Mooring facility (SPM) is used. The oil is transferred from the terminal via a subsea loading line to the column-mounted facility, located east of the Klykov Peninsula in the Chikhacheva Bay. The SPM concept is based on ExxonMobil proven systems capable to withstand harsh weather conditions.
Sakhalin-1 produced oil is transported from De-Kastri Terminal by a dedicated fleet of specially designed Aframax class double-hull tankers operated by Russian-owned marine transportation company Sovcomflot. While navigating through ice fields, tankers are escorted by ice breakers. To ensure safe navigation, weather forecasting and routing support is provided by Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.
To date, Sakhalin-1 project has provided the Russian state budget with over USD $5.6 billion in taxes, royalties and the state’s share of oil & gas. This includes over $1.9 billion in revenues to Sakhalin Oblast budget. Additionally, over $8.5 billion in contracts within the scope of Sakhalin-1 has been awarded to Russian contractors or joint ventures.
