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Project experience:

Sakhalin Island

On contract with SakhalinNIPImorneft and Sakhalinmorneftegas FERHRI has been carrying out specialized marine expeditions and scientific engineering works on the Sakhalin shelf development since 1980s. In 1991-93 by SakhalinNIPImorneft's request FERHRI implemented a number of sections of Chayvo-1 platform construction project. They were connected with environmental impact assessment during platform construction, accident prevention during transportation and construction, and differentiation of regions (including lagoons) subject to tsunami to a large extent.

Starting from 1995 FERHRI has been taking an active part in international projects Sakhalin I-IV. It has been carrying out various ecological and hydrometeorological works, monitoring and engineering investigations. The largest projects in which FERHRI acted as a general contractor and which were approved both at the local and state levels are the following:
  • 1997-98 - EIA and Environmental Protection for the project "Piltun-Astokh field development. Phase I. Astokh area", FERHRI being the general contractor in contract with Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (see Attachment 1).
    All the materials were approved by the State Ecological Commission of Experts (Order No. 335 of Russian Federation State Committee for the Environmental Protection, of June 1, 1998).
  • 1998 - EIA and relevant materials for the project "Appraisal drilling of the two oil wells on Piltun-Astokh field, 1998", FERHRI being the general contractor in contract with Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (see Attachment 2).
    All the materials were approved by the State Ecological Commission of Experts (Order No. 415 of Russian Federation State Committee for the Environmental Protection, of July 7, 1998).
  • 1999 - EIA, Environmental Protection and all the documents allowing drilling for the project "Construction of the appraisal well No.1 on Astrakhanovskaya-sea field", FERHRI being the general contractor on the par with Sakhalinmorneftegas-shelf; ARCO and Sakhalinmorneftegas being the customers.
    All the materials were approved by the State Ecological Commission of Experts (Order No. 256 of Russian Federation State Committee for the Environmental Protection, of May 19, 1999), and all the relevant permissions for drilling obtained.
  • 1998 - ecological monitoring for Sakhalin II project, FERHRI being the general contractor in contract with Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd.
    Monitoring results were accepted by the company and approved by the coordinating authorities.
  • 2000 - ecological monitoring for Sakhalin II project, FERHRI being the general contractor in contract with Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd.
    Preliminary results were accepted by the company, and the work on the final report is going to an end.
The total number of contracts fulfilled by FERHRI in 1997-2000 under Sakhalin II project is more than 20, two of them being currently performed. Besides in 1995-2000 FERHRI together with Exxon and Mobil companies and their contractors participated in Sakhalin I and III projects (see Section C, item 5) and worked in contract with Sakhalinmorneftegas and its structural subdivisions, Sakhalin Ecological Fund, and Far Eastern Marine Ecological Fund. Under the said projects FERHRI was successful at performing the following activities:
  • Modeling of oil spill transport. It is a trajectory model adapted to Sakhalin shelf conditions and approved by the State Ecological Commission of Experts and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development;
  • Modeling of pollutants transport and sedimentation. It is a four-dimensional model which was successfully tested in Russian and international projects on Sakhalin shelf development and approved by Ecological Commission of Experts and Russian authorized bodies;
  • Calculation of Maximum Permissible Emission (MPE), which is implemented according to Russian standards with the help of certified computer software;
  • Calculation of Maximum Permissible Discharge (MPD) for the coastal areas is made in accordance with Russian standards. For such calculations FERHRI uses its own certified program "MPD-sea 3.2" (GOST ¹ RU.ME20.H00082). FERHRI is the only institution whose projects on drilling wastes discharges into the Russian Federation internal sea waters were approved by the State Ecological Commission of Experts.

Experience with:

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

FERHRI's collaboration with EBRD began in 1997 when the latter approved FERHRI's oil spill modeling technique applicable to the Sakhalin II project (Phase I). Below EBRD review is given:

Oil-spill modeling: Modeling of spill plume in 'worst case scenario' and identification of potential for trans-boundary impacts on Sakhalin Island. The Company has hired the Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute (FERHRI) to undertake a detailed and extensive oil-spill modeling according to international and Russian requirements, which models oil-spill trajectories for four different spill scenarios and takes into account an extensive number of criteria (such as meteorological conditions off Sakhalin Island). Independent oil-spill experts hired by the Bank confirmed that the oil-spill modeling performed by FERHRI had been prepared in accordance with best industry practice.
The modeling shows that, under some conditions, an oil spill could have an impact on the coast of Sakhalin Island. The oil-spill modeling study is part of the September 1997 EIA, on which public consultation and information have been conducted. Coastal sensitivity studies were undertaken to determine sensitive environments and habitat to be taken into account in the oil-spill contingency plan.

(Source: Sakhalin II (Phase I) Project summary document; operation status: signed; )

Later on EBRD examined other ecological documents developed by FERHRI for the Sakhalin II project and approved all of them.

Exxon/Mobil

Ecological designing and monitoring activities were performed under the Sakhalin I and III projects. These confine to the following:
  • 1995 - EIA project for appraisal drilling on Kirin field (Mobil company being the customer);
  • 1996 - EIA project for appraisal drilling on Arkutun-Dagi field, well AD-6 (SakhalinNIPImorneft being the customer);
  • 1996 - participation in the monitoring program (experimental discharges) and implementation of discharges modeling section (Sakhalinmorneftegas-shelf being the customer);
  • 1997 - monitoring aboard the FERHRI research vessel (R/V) "Pavel Gordienko" and implementation of discharges modeling section (Sakhalinmorneftegas-shelf being the customer);
  • 1997 - "Oceanography and background conditions of the marine environment" report (AGRA being the customer);
  • 1997 - engineering investigations aboard the FERHRI R/V "Academic Shokalsky" (Far Eastern Marine Engineering Geological Expedition being the customer);
  • 1998 - monitoring aboard the FERHRI R/V "Pavel Gordienko", processing of monitoring results and implementation of discharges modeling section (Sakhalinmorneftegas-shelf being the customer);
  • 2000 - participation in the monitoring program and implementation of discharges modeling section (Ecological Company of Sakhalin being the customer);
  • 2000 - engineering investigations aboard the FERHRI R/V "Valerian Uryvaev" (ROMONA company being the customer).
Besides that other less significant activities were performed.

Regulatory and Environmental experience with:

Large-scale O&G development projects (offshore and onshore drilling, production, pipeline, marine terminal, tinkering)

In 1997-1998 as the general contractor (see Attachment 1) FERHRI implemented EIA and Natural Environment Protection projects (see Section B, item 1) for the oil production complex based on Molikpaq platform. That complex consisted of the drilling and oil-producing Molikpaq platform, underwater pipeline of 2 km in length, Single Anchor Leg Mooring (SALM), Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) Unit and transportation tankers. FERHRI's activities performed and approved by the controlling authorities involved:
  • carrying out ecological monitoring program;
  • developing report on the oil spill modeling;
  • developing report on the modeling of the impacts on the marine environment (including the stage of platform and other units installation);
  • studying hydrometeorological and background conditions of the region;
  • developing MPD project and materials for getting a water-use license.
It should also be mentioned that FERHRI specialists proved the possibility of regulating discharges of drilling mud, cuttings and produced water into the marine environment and later on got approval from the controlling authorities.

Obtaining approvals from regulatory agencies

EIA projects and other relevant documents developed by FERHRI got approvals from the following regulatory agencies:
  • State Ecological Commission of Experts (Orders No. 335 of June 1, 1998; No. 415 of July 7, 1998; No. 256 of May 19, 1999);
  • Sakhalin Regional Committee for the Environmental Protection (Resolutions No. 726 of March 12, 1998; No. 1407 of April 21, 1998; No. 2130 of June 19, 1998; No. 767 of February 25, 1999; No. 2191 of April 23, 1999; No. 1294 of March 6, 2000, etc.);
  • Central Administration of the Fishery Expertise (Conclusion No. 02-01/241 of June 5, 1998; No. 02-01/31 of August 1, 1999, etc.);
  • Sakhalin Regional Committee for the Natural Resources (Letters No. 08-1076 of June 29, 1998; No. PS-12-697 of March 11, 1999; No. PS-12-698 of March 11, 1999, etc.);
  • Sakhalin State Center for the Sanitary and Epidemiological Control (Conclusion of May 5, 1998; No. 31 of June 23, 1998; No. 18 of March 5, 1999; No. 40 of April 7, 1999; No. 22 of March 23, 2000, etc.);
  • Sakhalin Administration of Hydrometeorological Service (Letters No. 7-1/212 of June 18, 1998; No. 7-1/506, ¹7-1/11 of January 20, 1999, etc.);
  • Far Eastern State Environmental Marine Service (Conclusion No. 735/29 of December 2, 1997, etc.).
In 2000 FERHRI specialists developed and got approval for MPD calculation project and obtained the water-use license for the appraisal drilling under Sakhalin II project with drilling wastes discharges into marine environment, while EIA project made by the other subcontractor was not approved by the State Ecological Commission of Experts.

Summary experience in the following areas:

Russian regulations

FERHRI took part in development of the following relevant regulations in ecological area:
  • 1995-1996 - participation of FERHRI's specialists in the development of a comprehensive program for ecological monitoring on the Sakhalin shelf (approved by the State Ecological Committee).
  • 1998 - development of the temporary methodical instructions on monitoring in the O&G production areas on the Sakhalin shelf (approved by Roshydromet);
  • 2000 - participation of FERHRI's specialists in the development of methodical instructions on the Maximum Permissible Environmental Negative Impacts (MPENI).

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