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- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Ecological Designing
- Licenses: ¹ 65M/97/0008/006/L, ¹ 65M/97/0009/020/L, ¹ 25M/99/0050/006/L, ¹ 25M/99/0051/006/L, ¹ 25M/99/0202/020/L
- Engineering calculations, modelling, working out standard documents and implementation of EIA are made by the Department of Engineering Oceanology (deo@ferhri.ru).
- At a high level FERHRI has carried out EIA for Sakhalin II, III and IV projects and worked out some EIA issues in Sakhalin I project. EIA projects made by FERHRI for the first oil-extracting platform Molikpaq (1998, FERHRI being contractor general), appraisal drilling according to Sakhalin II project (1998, FERHRI being contractor general) and searching drilling according to Sakhalin IV project (SMNG-shelf and FERHRI being equal contractors general) were approved by the State ecological expert examination. In 1996 as a contractor general FERHRI made ecological grounds for appraisal drilling at Kirin block (Sakhalin III). The materials of these studies were successfully used for preparation and consideration of Production Share Agreement for Sakhalin III project in State Duma. Within the context of Sakhalin II project FERHRI worked out monitoring program, MPD projects and materials for grounding the license for water use with drilling mud discharges into the sea water and made models of possible oil slicks and discharges.
- As for Sakhalin I project, FERHRI had no direct contracts with Exxon, the operator for the project, but still it performed some activities. In 1996 as a subcontractor of SakhalinNIPImorneft FERHRI made EIA for the well Arkutun-Dagi 6. In 1997 according to the contract with AGRA FERHRI prepared hydrometeorological, oceanographic and hydrobiological data and parameters for pollutants transport in Arkutun-Daginski area. I 1996-1998 FERHRI specialists processed monitoring results and made the part of modelling discharges into the sea water according to the contract with SMNG-Shelf.
- In particular, EIA implementation includes issues that FERHRI does best of all in Russia:
- Modeling oil slick transport is made possible with the help of trajectory model. It was approved in real situations, used in Sakhalin II, III and IV projects, and it got positive resolutions of ecological expert examination and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
- Modeling pollutants transport and sedimentation is made in four dimensions. This model was approved in Russian and international projects on Sakhalin shelf development and has got positive resolutions of ecological expert examination and recommendations of Russian authorized bodies. The method of calculation is currently passing state certification.
- MPE calculations are made in accordance with Russian standards with the help of certified computer software.
- MPD calculations for coastal areas are made in accordance with Russian standards. For such calculations FERHRI uses its own unique certified program "MPD-sea 3.2" (GOST ¹ RU.ME20.H00082). More than 100 MPD projects are worked out and coordinated (including MPD projects with drilling wastes discharges into the sea water for Sakhalin II and IV).
- Marine expeditions
- Among the research vessels of FERHRI there are ocean-going ships supplied with modern radionavigational equipment, measuring and recording instruments, computer engineering techniques and systems receiving and processing data from satellites. Research vessels are staffed with highly skilled specialists and scientific personnel. FERHRI has licenses for the main kinds of observations, research vessels are certified according to international conventions, and specialists have some experience working with researchers from United States, Japan, Republic of Korea, Canada, and China.
- Hydrometeorology
- Hydrometeorological researches are made possible thanks to the highly skilled specialists, archives of hydrometeorological data, engineering methods and computer programs for calculating hydrometeorological environmental parameters, including unique characteristics. FERHRI has the most complete and reliable observations of the marine environment from 1930s. Regional Oceanographic Data Center (RODC) was established in FERHRI. RODC is the branch of the World Data Center. In the database of RODC referring to Sakhalin shelf there is data of 35 hydrometeorological stations, of about 40000 deep-water oceanographic stations, data from voluntary observing ships as well as data about currents and other information.
- Ecological Monitoring
- In 1980s FERHRI specialists began comprehensive oceanographic, hydrochemical, hydrobiological and geochemical studies along northeastern shelf of Sakhalin Island in relation to possible oil and gas extraction in the region. Specialized observations were carried out at Piltun-Astokh, Chaivo, Arkutun, Lunski, Kirin blocks and other oil-gas fields. In 1998 full-scale ecological monitoring at Piltun-Astokh field was started according to the project Sakhalin II. Scope of work includes analysis of trace metals and petroleum hydrocarbons in sea water and bottom sediments, measurements of suspended solids, dissolved oxygen and nutrients, observations of phyto-, ichtio-, zooplankton and benthos and visual observations of birds and mammals. Results of these investigations allow to estimate the effect of drilling and oil extraction on marine ecosystems.
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