Today I would like to tell you about a very unique facility, the world's only oil export terminal located beyond the Arctic Circle, and even in fresh waters. We are talking about the Gates of the Arctic. Imagine, this gigantic technical facility with a height of more than 80 meters is designed to operate in very extreme natural and climatic conditions: the temperature in the region drops below -50 degrees, and the ice thickness can exceed 2 meters. The project itself is an essential element for the growth of cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route, as well as for the further development and development of Arctic offshore fields.

2. And we fly again, in these parts a helicopter, like a minibus. Another 30 minutes of flight (from the New Port), and we are there.

3. Geographically, the village of Mys-Kamenny is located in the west of the Ob Bay of the Yamal Peninsula, along the Kamennaya Spit. It was founded as the base of the Polar Geophysical Expedition.

5. As for this name of the village, there are several versions. The main one says that at one time the translation from the Nenets language was simply incorrect, and as a result, instead of “Crooked Cape” (“Pey-salya”), we have “Cape Stone” (“Pe-salya”)

Having believed in themselves that there is a lot of oil at the Novoportovskoye field and it is economically profitable to extract it, they began to think about how to take it out of here. Scientists from the Krylov State Research Center for Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering were involved. It was important to come up with a way that all twelve months of the year the tankers were on the move, the help of nuclear icebreakers was allowed.

Initially, 12 options were considered for transporting oil from the Novoportovskoye field to consumers. Last time I already wrote, when I was talking about the field itself, that the nearest main oil pipeline is located 740 km from the New Port and it is not economically feasible to pull a pipe to it, besides, it’s somehow a pity to give such valuable oil to a common hodgepodge, in the same place it mixes in the pipe and what happens at the exit is a big question. Another option provided for the construction of a main oil pipeline to the Payuta railway station with a length of about 200 km, from where oil would be delivered to consumers by rail. In this case, Novoportovskaya oil would go to the domestic market, and not to Europe, which also promised lower revenues. And the capacity of the railway infrastructure is also not unlimited. Therefore, it was decided to work on projects of transportation by sea. Let me remind you that oil is delivered from the field to the coast through a pressure oil pipeline with a length of more than 100 km.

Now all the necessary infrastructure has been built on the coast of the Gulf of Ob: underwater and onshore oil pipelines, a tank farm, pumping stations with a water hammer protection system that guarantees the tightness of the pipeline.

Experimental pilotage was carried out in 2011 from the port of Sabetta using the Vaigach nuclear icebreaker. The first Novy Port oil was sent to Europe via the Northern Sea Route in the summer of 2014, and in 2015 winter shipments began. Why exactly in Northern Europe, this is explained by the fact that, firstly, from a geographical point of view, it is closest to the field, plus there are refineries specializing in the processing of light sweet oil, i.e., bull's-eye, Novy Port, just such blood.

In order for such an ambitious project to fly, it was even decided to create our own fleet, both tankers and new icebreakers of the Arctic class. These ships should easily overcome ice up to 1.8 m thick, and take on board about 35 thousand tons of cargo. And at the same time, they are equipped with bow loading devices for loading raw materials from the tower terminal. In the autumn of 2016, the first such tanker, Shturman Albanov, was launched, and by the end of 2017, the number of new generation tankers operating on the Novy Port project will reach six.

Initially, until May 2016, oil was loaded onto tankers from shore using temporary hose lines. It was not possible to build an oil loading terminal on the shore, it is shallow here, and even the current. Therefore, it was decided to place it 3.5 km. from the shore. To maintain the desired temperature of the raw material, it was designed in the form of two insulated pipelines, through which heated oil circulates between shipments.

On May 25, 2016, with the participation of Vladimir Putin, the Arctic Gates offshore oil terminal was inaugurated. It was from this date that the company was able to carry out year-round shipment of Novy Port oil to consumers. The capacity of the Gates of the Arctic terminal for oil transshipment is up to 8.5 million tons per year.

And now let me parrot the size. The total height of the Gates of the Arctic FSMLT is 80 m, while it rises 61 m above the sea, and the height of the underwater part is 17 m. The length of the rotary shaft is 78 m, and the length of the boom is 67 m. with the help of one of the world's largest crane ships "Oleg Strashnov" with a carrying capacity of 5 thousand tons. It is in contact with tankers thanks to two oil loading hoses 68 meters long.

19. "Cork" for Novoportovskoye oil:). Everyone wants to snatch some of that cool black gold for themselves.

20. A multifunctional rescue vessel Baltika is on duty near the terminal.

MFASS "Baltika" of the innovative project R-70202 was built at the Baltic Shipyard "Yantar" by order of the Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport of the Russian Federation under a contract concluded on November 09, 2011. The P-70202 project of an innovative icebreaker for oil spill response and rescue operations was developed by the Finnish company Aker Arctic Technology. The design feature of the vessel is an asymmetric hull equipped with three full-revolving propeller-rudder complexes with a total capacity of 7.5 MW. This allows the ship to go obliquely, laying a channel in the ice, 2.5 times the width of its hull - up to 50 meters with a hull width of 20.5 meters. The vessel is capable of moving through even ice one meter thick, and in the "oblique" mode will be able to lay a channel 50 meters wide. The vessel is designed to perform a wide range of rescue operations both in clean water and in ice conditions, including the elimination of emergency oil spills.

Vessel "Baltika" IMO: 9649237, flag Russia, port of registry Big Port St. Petersburg, was accepted by the State Commission on May 30, 2014, building number 508. Owner: Rosmorrechflot, Russia. Operator: FBU "Gosmorspasluzhba Rossii". On December 30, 2014, FBU "Marine Rescue Service of Rosmorrechflot" accepted into operation. The construction cost was 78 million euros. Main characteristics: Tonnage 3800 tons, deadweight 1150 tons. Length 76.4 meters, width 20.5 meters, draft 6.3 meters. Travel speed 14 knots, in flat ice 1 meter thick 3 knots. The power of three diesel generators is 7.5 MW. Crew of 24 people. On board accommodation is provided for 12 people of special personnel. Autonomy 20 days (for 24 people). The icebreaker is equipped with special equipment for oil spill response, fire fighting, and environmental monitoring.

24. Having made several circles over the terminal and the village, we finally landed.

25. Cape-Stone is a closed village, it is quite difficult to get here without an invitation, at the exit from the helicopter we are met by border guards, they check all the formalities and only after that we are invited to visit.

27. Acceptance point "Cape Kamenny" and its operator's room. From here, all processes are monitored. And so the FSMLT "Gate of the Arctic" works completely autonomously, there is a control room in the terminal tower, where the electronics communicate with the operator's PSP. A special system allows you to instantly undock the terminal and the tanker, while maintaining the tightness of the disconnected elements.

28. And this is the Chemical Analytical Laboratory

When designing our project, we took the experience of the oil loading terminal of the Sakhalin-1 project in the village of De-Kastri, Khabarovsk Territory. Of course, there were differences, there is sea ice, and ours is freshwater and denser, and the climate on Cape Kamenny will be more severe. But pundits, after conducting a large number of tests in the ice basins of the Krylov State Research Center and the Hamburg Maritime Institute, nevertheless found the necessary solutions. As a result, an ice cone was laid at the base of the Gates of the Arctic terminal, acting as an icebreaker. In addition, the stability of the terminal is ensured by 12 piles 85 meters long and up to 2.5 meters in diameter. The oil pipeline, which connects the acceptance point (PSP) and the terminal, consists of 2 pipes laid along the bottom of the Gulf of Ob, with a total length of 7.9 km. These pipes are insulated from the shore to the permafrost boundary, the pipe diameter is 720 mm, and the steel thickness is 18 mm. Heated oil (with a temperature of about 45 C) constantly circulates through them.

From the point of view of process safety, everything here is at a very high level, and the “zero discharge” technology excludes the ingress of any unwanted substances into the waters of the Gulf of Ob.

33. It’s a pity that we didn’t manage to visit this ship and take pictures closer, the ice situation didn’t allow us that day, maybe some other time we’ll be lucky ...

At the Novoportovskoye field, Gazprom Neft launched the Arctic Gates of the Arctic oil loading terminal, installed in the waters of the Gulf of Ob. This is a unique technical facility designed to operate in extreme natural and climatic conditions: the temperature in the region drops below -50 degrees Celsius, the ice thickness can exceed 2 m. 3.5 km from the coast, it enters through an oil pipeline with a length of more than 100 km. The terminal's oil transshipment capacity is up to 8.5 million tons per year.

"Alexander Sannikov" is one of two icebreaking vessels servicing the terminal at Novoportovskoye, which are being built by order of Gazprom Neft at the Vyborg Shipyard

The facility is equipped with a two-level emergency protection system and meets the most stringent requirements in the field of industrial safety and environmental protection. A special system allows you to instantly undock the terminal and the tanker, while maintaining the tightness of the disconnected elements. The "zero discharge" technology excludes the ingress of any foreign substances into the waters of the Gulf of Ob. The subsea pipeline connecting the terminal to the offshore tank farm is protected by an additional concrete shell.

The command to start loading the tanker with oil from the Novoportovskoye field through the new terminal was given by video link by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The solemn event dedicated to the start of the year-round shipment of Yamal oil through the Gates of the Arctic was attended by Alexei Miller, Chairman of the Board of Gazprom, and Alexander Dyukov, General Director of Gazprom Neft.

The development of territories located beyond the Arctic Circle on land and on the shelf is part of the Gazprom Neft strategy until 2025, the joint program "Arctic Time". The flagship projects of the program today are the development of the Prirazlomnoye and Novoportovskoye fields. In the future, its perimeter may include other elements of the Gazprom Neft production cluster, which is being formed in the north of the YaNAO, and new offshore assets.

Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation:

Today we are starting a new stage in the development of Yamal, in fact, a new stage in the development of the Novoportovskoye field. This is a significant, great event, as the project is one of the most capital-intensive in the Russian oil and gas industry. Over the past three years, 186 billion rubles have been allocated for its implementation, and the latest technical solutions have been applied to work in the harsh conditions of the northernmost point of the Yamal Peninsula. For the first time, oil will be shipped not by pipeline, but by sea. I would like to congratulate and thank the management of Gazprom and Gazprom Neft, as well as the engineers and workers who took part in the implementation of this project. This is a very good step forward!

Alexander Dyukov, General Director of Gazprom Neft:

The Novoportovskoye field was discovered more than 50 years ago and became the first hydrocarbon field discovered on the Yamal Peninsula. For a long time, the lack of technologies for the development of such complex fields as Novoportovskoye, the lack of the possibility of exporting and transporting oil did not allow starting the development of the asset. The use of new modern technologies of the 21st century made it possible to start developing this field.

We continue to build high-tech horizontal wells at the field. We are expanding and developing ground infrastructure. A powerful power plant is under construction. At the Vyborg Shipyard, we started building new, modern, powerful icebreakers for Novy Port. The start of full-scale development of the asset opens up a new production region for Gazprom Neft and brings the company significantly closer to its strategic goal of 100 mmtoe. by 2020.

The command to start loading the tanker with oil from the Novoportovskoye field through the new terminal was given via video link
Russian President Vladimir Putin

Arctic terminal

Oil transportation scheme

8.5 million tons per year capacity of the Gates of the Arctic terminal for oil transshipment

Vadim Yakovlev, First Deputy General Director of Gazprom Neft:

The construction of the Arctic terminal at the Novoportovskoye field is a complex project implemented in extreme climatic conditions. However, the commissioning of the Gates of the Arctic is a valuable event not only in terms of demonstrating the technological capabilities of Gazprom Neft. This is a major milestone in Novoportovskoye's road to full capacity, a journey the company has traveled from virtually zero to the discovery of a new Russian oil province in Yamal.

Russia has taken an important step in the development of the Arctic zone: a year-round terminal for oil supplies to Europe via the Northern Sea Route has been launched. The project will not only bring major financial benefits to the country - it is extremely significant for the Russian Northern Sea Route to gain the status of a key transit route between Europe and Asia.

President Putin via video link launched the shipment of the first tanker with oil from the Novoportovskoye field through the new Arctic Gates of the Arctic terminal located in the waters of the Gulf of Ob near the Yamal Peninsula.

"Russia is taking a serious step towards the further development of the richest hydrocarbon resources of the Far North and the development of the Northern Sea Route"

“This is a new stage in the development of Yamal, in fact, a new stage in the development of the Novoportovskoye field. This is a significant, big event, I mean that the project is one of the most capital-intensive in the Russian oil and gas industry,” Putin said during the teleconference. “Over the past three years, 186 billion has been allocated for the implementation of this project, the latest high-tech solutions have been applied to work in such very harsh conditions,” the president said. For the first time, oil from Yamal will be shipped not through pipelines, but by sea, the president added.

“Start shipping,” the president commanded. “The first shipment of oil through the Gates of the Arctic terminal has begun,” Alexei Miller, Chairman of the Board of Gazprom, reported. Miller and Gazprom Neft General Director Alexander Dyukov were at the terminal itself. “During the operation of this facility, tax revenues to the budgets of all levels will exceed 1.5 trillion rubles,” Dyukov said.

“Undoubtedly, following the creation of the terminal (Gate of the Arctic), Russia is taking a serious step towards the further development of the richest hydrocarbon resources of the Far North and the development of the Northern Sea Route,” Miller said.

Northernmost oil province

Novoportovskoye is one of the largest oil and gas condensate fields on the Yamal Peninsula. The recoverable reserves exceed 250 million tons of oil and condensate, as well as more than 320 billion cubic meters of gas.

Higher quality oil is produced here, which belongs to the category of “light oil”. It contains less sulfur than the Russian Urals blend. This gives it additional competitive advantages in the global market. The new grade of oil was named Novy Port. “This oil is traded at a premium to Brent oil,” Dyukov explained.

The field is located beyond the Arctic Circle, far from the transport pipeline infrastructure. In this regard, shipment by sea was chosen for the delivery of raw materials. For the first time, Gazprom Neft proved the possibility of exporting oil by sea in winter in 2011. Then the company managed to navigate a nuclear-powered icebreaker along the Northern Sea Route from Cape Kamenny on the Gulf of Ob to Western Europe.

For the first time, Novoportovskaya oil was shipped to Europe by tankers in 2014. However, until now it has been carried out only in the summer season and three river tankers and four sea-class tankers have been involved in the transportation. Already in the summer season of 2015, more than 180 thousand tons of hydrocarbons were transported along the Ob Bay and the Northern Sea Route. Now we are talking about year-round deliveries. In 2016, Gazprom Neft is going to increase Novy Port oil deliveries to 2-2.5 million tons, and by 2017 it is going to produce more than 4 million tons of oil here.

With the start of industrial operation of the Novoportovskoye field in 2016, a new, northernmost oil province will appear in Russia, unique in terms of operating conditions, infrastructure and transport, Vadim Yakovlev, First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Gazprom Neft, said earlier.

"Gateway to the Arctic"

In order to ensure year-round transportation of oil from the Novoportovskoye field by sea to European countries, in autumn 2015, the first Arctic marine terminal was installed in Yamal. On the coast of the Gulf of Ob, underwater and onshore oil pipelines with a length of more than 10.5 km, a tank farm, and pumping stations were built. Shipment is carried out with the help of a remote Arctic oil loading tower-type terminal located 3.5 kilometers from the coast in the area of ​​Cape Kamenny. The terminal's capacity is 8.5 million tons of oil per year.

The Gates of the Arctic are designed to operate in extreme conditions. The temperature in the region falls below 50 degrees, the thickness of the ice can exceed 2 meters.

Therefore, oil will be delivered to consumers via the Northern Sea Route by tankers escorted by icebreakers. By order of Gazprom Neft, two icebreaking support vessels will be built in 2017. The conceptual design of the ship was developed by the Finnish company Aker Arctic Technology, and the construction of two icebreakers will be carried out by the Vyborg Shipbuilding Plant. The laying of the first icebreaking support vessel has already taken place at the end of 2015.

Meaning

This project is the most important for increasing cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route and developing Arctic offshore fields. It brings Russia closer to the target – to increase the volume of cargo along the Northern Sea Route by 2030 to more than 80 million tons, that is, twenty times compared to 2015.

“The new port will become one of the points on the Northern Sea Route (NSR), which, of course, will give impetus to the development of the entire NSR project. And due to the year-round shipment of oil, accompanied by icebreakers, the Yamal-Europe route will become one of the first constantly used segments of the Northern Sea Route. There will already be a certain schedule on this segment, which will make the NSR more convenient and accessible for shippers. For the Yamal field, the main thing now is to ensure cash flow, start a return on investment. And year-round exports are very useful in this regard,” says Ivan Andrievsky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of 2K Engineering Company.

Deliveries of oil along the Northern Sea Route will give Russian oilmen a useful experience. “This will give an impetus to further expand the geography of deliveries along this route, will attract other companies to transport various cargoes that are not profitable for shipment by land. And it can also revive the economy of the now depressed coastal cities,” notes Kirill Yakovenko from Alor Broker.

The Gates of the Arctic terminal is another important step towards the development of the offshore sector. “The very fact of organizing year-round operation of a specialized large port located beyond the Arctic Circle confirms once again that Russian interests in the Arctic are also supported by technical capabilities,” said Dmitry Kipa, director of the investment banking department at QBF.

In addition to production on the Arctic shelf, another aspect is also important for Russia - the organization of uninterrupted supplies of oil and gas to Europe. “It is clear that the use of oil and gas pipelines is much more profitable, since it does not impose additional costs on the development of the transport fleet, liquefaction and regasification of LNG,” says Dmitry Kipa. However, in the current geopolitical conditions, the "pipe" should have an alternative. In this vein, of course, the possibility of organizing deliveries by sea is an indisputable advantage.

No matter what European politicians say and no matter how they try to get rid of Russian hydrocarbons, the demand for Russian energy resources in Europe has only grown in recent years. In the first quarter of this year alone, Europe purchased 15% more Russian gas than a year earlier. The same situation is observed with oil. “It is hardly worth expecting a rebound in demand specifically for Russian oil. Oil deliveries from Yamal have already been contracted for years to come, and with the expansion of the geography of transportation and opportunities, they, of course, will only grow,” Yakovenko agrees.

For more than half a century, the hard-to-reach Yamal deposits have been waiting for a technological breakthrough that will allow Russian oilmen not only to extract black gold in harsh natural conditions, but also to deliver it to its destination. The most effective solution was the Northern Sea Route.

A helicopter flies over a thin thread of an oil pipeline. 100 kilometers of pipe from the deposit to the black gold shipment point. White desert to the horizon. This is the Russian North.

The briefing ended: they explained how to behave when landing on the ice, which is now from one and a half meters or more, therefore it is quite safe. And, nevertheless, we need life jackets that open automatically when they enter the water. Although the ice is thick enough, ordinary cars cannot drive on it, they will fail. Therefore, they use "Trekols" with a wheel width of at least half a meter.

The richest oil field was discovered in the 60s of the last century. Technology did not allow to start production and, most importantly, the shipment of hydrocarbons. Now some minus 25 degrees, and at the height of winter the temperature here drops to minus 60. In the 21st century, Russian oilmen managed to defeat the elements.

“The scale of the project is colossal. It is indeed a huge and very rich storehouse, quite comparable to the conditions and wealth of fields in the Middle East,” said Vadim Yakovlev, First Deputy General Director of Gazprom Neft PJSC.

Three and a half kilometers from the shore, above the ice of the Gulf of Ob, something like a giant crane now rises. This is the only oil loading terminal in the world built in such difficult conditions. The record was set not for the sake of ambition. Sending oil along the Northern Sea Route turned out to be a profitable business.

The “Gate of the Arctic” is what hundreds of people are here for, two icebreakers, several tankers, what work is going on here around the clock so that after a while the terminal reaches its maximum capacity: about nine million tons per year.

For the sake of such and even smaller volumes, the United States arranges coup d'état in the Middle East and Africa.

Icebreakers of Gazprom Neft are on duty around the clock in the waters of the Gulf of Ob. These are unique vessels created for a specific task. They are needed in order to launch tankers into the Gulf of Ob, where the depth is shallow - from eight to 12 meters, shallow water.

Provides maneuverability. It can turn 360 degrees in just one minute. Water for tankers is always open. The icebreaker can work for days. The team, if necessary, is delivered by air.

Investments in the field - more than 300 billion rubles. They will return many times. The state will receive hundreds of billions and a long-term profitable project, jobs for thousands of shift workers, and the development of the northern territories.

“We recently launched new programs: we compensate up to 40 percent of the cost of housing to those who purchase it. We are solving the tasks that the president set that the North should develop, thanks to our large companies,” says the governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Dmitry Artyukhov.

"Gazprom Neft" printed the largest oil region. , in the developed territories, it creates the basis for the future infrastructure. The construction of the railway is a matter of the near future. The mainland, as the rest of Russia is called here, will become much closer.

Maria Novoseletskaya writes:

“A plane from Moscow or St. Petersburg to the capital of Yamal will take you just three hours. Here are the Ural Mountains, and here is the great Ob under the wing and behind it - Salekhard.

(Total 39 photos)

It would seem not for long, but it is enough to find yourself in the vast expanses rich in archaeological finds, the harvest of berries and mushrooms, venison and many fish in the rivers.

Yamal is considered to be a gas region, but this is not entirely true. The tundra also stores black gold in its bowels - oil. And now the development of the Yamal deposits, which was previously impossible due to the difficulties in extracting natural reserves, plays a very important role in the development of the region.

We (a group of journalists) got a unique chance to see, feel the oil in the truest sense of the word and see how it is produced. The scale of production, combined with the nature of this region, made a vivid impression on us.

So. Early morning. Salekhard. Helipad and the first helicopter flight in my life. A little briefing, the belts are fastened, instead of ear plugs - headphones in the ears, and overboard there are endless landscapes that you can’t tear yourself away from.

Alexander Lipatnikov is flying with us, the head of the operation department of the Gates of the Arctic oil terminal, who knows more than anyone about the difficulties and peculiarities of oil production in Yamal.

Our path lies to the field, not far from the village of Novy Port, and the next day even further - Kamenny Cape, where the main object of our visit is located - the Gates of the Arctic oil loading terminal.

Upon arrival, we immediately went fishing. The Novoportovskoye field is one of the largest developed oil and gas condensate fields on the Yamal Peninsula, and the largest in terms of liquid hydrocarbon reserves.

The recoverable reserves in categories C1 and C2 are more than two hundred and fifty million tons of oil and condensate, as well as more than three hundred and twenty billion cubic meters of gas. That's a lot!

If you delve into the history of Yamal, the presence of significant oil and gas reserves here was proved back in 1964, but the lack of transport infrastructure, as well as complex geology, remained for a long time insurmountable obstacles to the start of a full-scale development of Novoportovskoye. By 1987, 117 exploratory wells had been drilled at the field, but the asset development project entered the active phase only after 2010, when Gazprom decided to transfer it to Gazprom Neft. Today, the project operator is OOO Gazpromneft-Yamal.

The company achieves production efficiency in the conditions of arctic latitudes and permafrost through the use of modern technologies. For example, one of them is the drilling of multilateral wells, which makes it possible to increase the reservoir coverage area. It is here that a multilateral well was drilled with a horizontal section length of 2000 meters. This figure is a record for Gazprom Neft.

By the way, about records. Really enthusiastic people work in the field, however, this region does not recognize others. You need to be stubborn and love your job in order to conduct shifts in these conditions. It turned out to be a surprising discovery that the crews not only set records for the pace of well construction, but also compete with each other. Everything is present here: the names of the teams, and the competitive process. The record holders have the team name just appropriate - “Victory” (as you call the ship, so it will sail). And there are even "Snow Leopards". Once upon a time, the construction of wells took an average of 40 days, now it takes 22, and there is a record - 14 days!

The Novoportovskoye field is growing rapidly. As of July 2017, 84 wells have been drilled, and almost four hundred are planned! Just think about the scale of the wealth of this region.

Of course, for such hard work, the conditions must be appropriate. A fishing base with a hostel has been built, infrastructure for everyday life has been established. In total, about 450 people work on the shift. Some workers still live in trailers, but in comfortable ones - even heated floors. Already next year, a residential complex for 600 people should be put into operation, a gas turbine power plant will be launched, which will provide electricity not only to oil facilities, but also to nearby villages.

The development of the territory cannot take place without interaction with the local population. “We are visiting here,” admits the head of the field, Vladimir Sablin, therefore, all measures are being taken to protect nature as much as possible from human intrusion and, of course, to live in friendship and harmony with the nomadic peoples who have lived in the tundra since ancient times. The pipelines are raised above the ground so as not to interfere with the deer, safe passages through the pipelines have been made on the site of animal paths that have developed over the centuries, and seasonal roads are being cleaned. In general, Gazprom Neft does its best not to interfere with the locals to live as they please.

Such a symbiosis of a large enterprise and the population is very pleasantly surprising. So, by joint efforts, they resumed the holiday of reindeer herders, not ostentatious, but the real one, where people from all over the boundless Yamal tundra come together, spend the day of the fisherman and, in general, respond in every possible way to the needs of the population.

By the way, to talk about environmental cleanliness. Gazprom Neft, together with leading Russian research institutes, is assessing the level of anthropogenic impact on the flora and fauna of the Yamal Peninsula, including species listed in the Red Book. For example, it is planned to conduct experimental work to identify plants that can be most effectively used to restore disturbed surface soil layers in the Yamal tundra.

Just look where the wagtail has made its nest? Directly at the base of the tanks of the tank farm of the Central Oil Gathering Station.

Want to try oil? - asked us a very non-trivial question. Of course! The truth is not as good as you might think. But touch and smell - please! This is a very interesting experience. And yes, the smell resembles gasoline and this distinguishes Yamal oil from other brands.

Here, at the Novoportovskoye field, a unique grade of oil is produced, which is called Novy Port. This oil is very attractive to buyers, it is known and appreciated in Europe for the highest quality, that is, low sulfur content (about 0.1%), water, and other impurities. Novy Port outperforms not only the Russian blend Urals, but also the European marker grade Brent. Today, Novy Port can be safely called the brand of Yamal.

Briefly about which way the oil goes. From the wells, an oil emulsion is supplied to the additional work unit, which needs to be rid of water and gas. First, the mixture meets two types of separators, then the separated gas goes to the fuel gas treatment unit for the local power plant, and the water-oil mixture goes through the next network of separators, after which it comes out thoroughly heated, up to 40-45 degrees, without gas and with water at level 0 .03 percent.

Prepared marketable oil goes from Novy Port to Cape Kamenny via a 100-kilometer pipe, from there it is shipped by the Gates of the Arctic terminal to a tanker that goes through Murmansk to a buyer in Europe.

So we, along the route of oil, flew to Cape Kamenny to the “Gate of the Arctic” in order to see with our own eyes how it happens and in order to fall in love with these harsh distances forever, never stop admiring the work of the people who are on duty here.

The fact that the Novoportovskoye field is unique, I think you have already understood. But the Gates of the Arctic distinguishes it even more strongly from other deposits. Just think, for the first time in the history of the development of the oil and gas industry in Russia, year-round transportation of oil is carried out not through pipelines, but through the Northern Sea Route. To make this possible, a huge work of specialists has been done, as a result of which a large oil loading terminal has been built - the only one located in fresh waters beyond the Arctic Circle, which has no analogues in the world.

The Gates of the Arctic are designed to operate in extreme natural and climatic conditions. The capacity of the terminal for transshipment of raw materials is 8.5 million tons / year. The huge structure has a two-level protection system and meets the most stringent requirements in the field of industrial safety and environmental protection.

The terminal equipment is fully automated and reliably protected from water hammer. A special system allows you to instantly undock the terminal and the tanker, while maintaining the tightness of the disconnected elements. The principle of "zero discharge" excludes any contact of the product with the atmosphere, which is extremely important for the preservation of the ecology of the Arctic.

We are surprised to learn from a conversation with terminal operators that it is much more comfortable to work in winter - there are no waves and wind. In winter, the Gates of the Arctic are more accessible in terms of visits of specialists, maintenance, and placing tankers for shipment. But how can you climb to a height of more than 80 meters in the cold? Basically, everything is mechanized and controlled at a distance, from the center, where all the necessary equipment and video surveillance are located.

Here, on the shore, there is also a laboratory that controls the quality of the transferred oil and issues a certificate for the batch currently loaded onto the tanker.

The first shipment of raw materials using the terminal took place on May 25, 2016, the command to launch was given by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. Since that time, quite a few thousand tons of Novoportovskaya oil have gone to Europe. In the spring of this year, Gazpromneft-Yamal shipped its jubilee - five millionth - ton of raw materials to the Shturman Albanov tanker.

Speaking of ships. Gazprom Neft is developing its own fleet specifically for work on the Novy Port project. By the end of 2017, six tankers of the highest Arctic class, Arc7, will be delivered to transport oil. Such a tanker is capable of transporting 40,000 tons each, crossing the Northern Sea Route in ice 1.8 meters thick.

At the same time, diesel-electric icebreakers are being built at the Vyborg Shipyard, which will bear the title of the most powerful non-nuclear icebreakers in the Arctic. Their main task will be to ensure the shipment of oil and escort tankers. Such vessels are not afraid of frost even at minus 50 degrees.

The trip to Cape Kamenny is coming to an end, you can still go to the shore of the Gulf of Ob, throw a coin and make a wish, because these lands still contain a lot of interesting and unknown things, maybe these are new deposits, or maybe new people who we will meet on a way. Who knows. I am sure of one thing, that Yamal is an amazing land with amazing discoveries inside and with wonderful people who are developing this harsh land and living here.”