Russian President Vladimir Putin
today announced that state owned energy company Gazprom has launched the first
ever shipment of oil from offshore Arctic waters to Europe.
In a
telephone call with Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller - who was onboard the
Prirazlomnaya platform in the Arctic’s Pechora sea - President Putin reportedly
said that the shipment represents a “further expansion of Russia's presence in
global energy markets”.
The platform
was the subject of a high profile environmental protest in September last year,
after which 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists known as the
“Arctic 30” were imprisoned for over two months on charges of piracy and
hooliganism. Six were British.
Responding
to the news of the first shipment, Greenpeace International Executive Director
Kumi Naidoo said:
“This is a
defining moment both for the Arctic and the rest of the world. Russia’s state
owned energy companies are betting that the Arctic can provide a new source of
power and profit for decades to come. International oil majors like Shell, BP
and ExxonMobil are teaming up with them to exploit this fragile region and
shore up their flagging reserves.
“If we do
not stop this Arctic oil rush we risk not only the environment but our ability
to shake off the power structures of the last century. This is not about
turning from one source of fossil fuels to another. It is about speeding up the
inevitable switch to clean technology while reducing the amount of energy we
use overall. Never has the situation been so urgent or the solution so clear.”
“Greenpeace,
alongside millions of our supporters, will continue to stand against any oil
company that tries to drill in the melting Arctic ocean.”
The
"Mikhail Ulyanov", which will transport the shipment, is a
Russian-flagged tanker. A Greenpeace briefing suggests the shipment of heavy
crude oil has taken far longer than expected to leave the rig and that the
quality of the oil is so poor that Gazprom struggled to find a buyer. There is
also evidence that the platform will produce significantly less oil than
Gazprom claims. The full briefing is available from Greenpeace (see notes)
Reuters
reported that Gazprom initially predicted the arrival of the shipment in late
February. No explanation has been given for the delay, but the Arctic’s fierce
conditions and heavy ice cover make any kind of industrial activity difficult.
Naidoo
continued:
“Despite the
President’s celebratory tone, this shipment is very late, it contains very poor
quality oil and it poses a huge risk to the pristine Arctic environment.”
In March the
Dutch parliament passed a resolution calling for the transport of heavy crude
to be banned in Arctic waters. The cabinet is now expected to engage at an
international level including with the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) to secure such a ban.
ENDS
NOTES
References
for the above included in the full briefing on the shipment and the
Prirazlomnaya platform, available at: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/briefings/polar/2014/GazpromFirstArcticOilBriefing.pdf
Putin’s comments regarding the shipment were
reported today by Russian news wire ITAR ITASS: http://itar-tass.com/ekonomika/1131537