Lukoil, Russia’s largest privately-held oil company, together with the ministries of emergency situations of Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran, has held a joint emergency response exercise in the Caspian Sea.

The company said last Friday that the exercise was a part of the Caspian-2016 international exercise.

Lukoil added that the meeting between the officials held at Astrakhan was attended by Vladimir Stepanov, Russia’s first deputy minister of emergency situations.

The main goal of the exercise was to join the efforts of all the countries in case of an emergency. Lukoil employees and emergency rescue teams from the five countries have practiced joint actions in simulated accidents at the company’s two offshore fields, namely, the Yuri Korchagin and Vladimir Filanovsky fields as well as at the corporate training center.

The emergency simulated at the Yuri Korchagin field included a fire on the offshore platform, an oil pipeline leakage and an oil spill on the sea surface.

Lukoil added that this year, the exercise involved new equipment and transport, the standby and rescue vessel Bumi-Naryan-Mar, rapid deployment oil spill booms and oil skimmers suitable for ice conditions.

The Yuri Korchagin field has proven oil reserves of 113 million barrels. It is located 180 kilometers from Astrakhan and 240 kilometers from Makhachkala at a sea depth of 11–13 meters. Production at the field was launched in April 2010.

As for the Vladimir Filanovsky field, it is, according to Lukoil, one of the largest discoveries in Russia in the past 25 years. It is located in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, 220 km away from Astrakhan. The field was discovered in 2005 with its first oil expected within the next few days.

Source: www.offshoreenergytoday.com