Russian Oil and Gas Industry: News #3

Weather conditions are calm around here and will stay that way for a while. That may be the clue.

owais.usmani wrote:

franco wrote:Fortuna replaced Akademik Chersky at Nord Stream 2

The Fortuna barge replaced the Akademik Chersky pipelayer during the construction of the second string of Nord Stream 2. The modernized and retrofitted vessel was never able to reach the planned pace of work.

On June 10, the barge "Fortuna" completed all work on the completion of line B of Nord Stream 2 and set off on June 11 back from the German economic zone of the Baltic Sea to the Danish one. Yesterday, on June 12, the ship stopped at the construction site of line A, which had been previously abandoned by the pipelayer "Akademik Chersky". He was three miles away from the construction track.

In addition to pipelayers, there are now 10 supply vessels in the work area. Today, June 13, the Fortuna barge was getting ready to start completing the second line.

Its unfinished section is 85 kilometers long in Danish and German waters. However, in a month and a half, Akademik Chersky was able to lay 17 kilometers of the gas pipeline. In favorable weather, the speed of the vessel did not exceed 600 meters, and at such a pace of work, the pipelayer would not have met the deadline - until the end of September.

In May last year, "Akademik Chersky" arrived from the Far East to the Baltic Sea and underwent additional equipment and modernization. The tender documents stated that the pipelayer should go to lay two kilometers per day. However, this did not happen. The project operator does not comment on construction details.

At the same time, the speed of the barge "Fortuna" reaches 1,300 meters per day in favorable weather, and since February the ship has completed the unfinished section of line B "Nord Stream - 2" with a length of about 63 kilometers.

Earlier, the project operator provided the Danish Energy Agency with an updated work schedule, according to which the construction of the second line should be completed by the end of September.

On June 10, Nord Stream 2 AG announced that the offshore section of the first string of Nord Stream 2 is technically completed.

“On June 4, the pipe-laying was completed, today the overflow was carried out - the offshore sections of the gas pipeline laid from the Russian and German sides are interconnected. Starting tomorrow, commissioning works to fill the gas pipeline with gas will begin. Pipe-laying work on the offshore section of the second string continues. All work is carried out in accordance with all necessary permits, ”the operator said in a statement.

https://k--politika-ru.translate.goog/fortuna-zamenila-akademika-cherskogo-na-severnom-potoke-2/?utm_source=finobzor.ru&_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB&_x_tr_pto=ajax,se

Well this is not good.

Akademik Chersky is a much larger and advanced pipe layer than Fortuna. Its worrisome that it was not upto the task even after they bringing it up half way around the world from Nakhodka and also it went through upgrades as well.

I wonder what is causing the cherskiy  to fail at its task? Is it technical, or an issue of crew training and supply? Why did they recall the cherskiy, instead of using it to build one end of the unfinished pipeline?

limb wrote:I wonder what is causing the cherskiy  to fail at its task? Is it technical, or an issue of crew training and supply? Why did they recall the cherskiy, instead of using it to build one end of the unfinished pipeline?

The Akademik Cherskiy is designed to lay pipe with dynamic positioning like the most advanced pipe laying ships. But it can only lay pipe with dynamic positioning system which has smaller diameter than the one used in Nord Stream 2. Dynamic positioning means the ship does not require the use of anchors. Originally use of anchors in Danish waters was forbidden supposedly because there might be unexploded WW2 era ordnance under the Baltic. Since Nord Stream 2 consortium provided evidence to Danish authorities no such ordnance existed along the route, the Danish provided permission to use anchors. Permission to use anchors was only provided once Akademik Cherskiy was on the Baltic. Fortuna uses anchors to lay pipe.

So, to make a long story short, Akademik Cherskiy is supposed to be able to lay more pipe than Fortuna, but that requires use of dynamic positioning which can only work with smaller diameter pipe than one used in Nord Stream 2. In case of large diameter pipe its pipe laying speed is much reduced.

Fortuna is now laying the second string of the pipe replacing Akademik Cherskiy and did decent pipe laying last day after a couple of days over those waters mostly in same place (perhaps retrieving the pipe from the ocean floor). Akademik Cherskiy is also close to Fortuna, has stayed in place, and has not left the Baltic.

It sounds like the Cherskiy needs an upgrade.

I doubt that the DP system of the Akademik Cherskiy has anything to do with the poor performance exhibited in pipe-laying ops. DP performance of a vessel is about its stability, thruster dynamics, and redundancies of its DP electronics. It's not influenced much by the size of the pipe that is being deployed. Its appparent performance issues are probably more to do with the pipe handling spread, especially if she isn't designed to handle line pipe of the NS2 spec.

It sounds like she was mobilised to the job on account of her DP credentials, but wasn't really suited to the job specifics. The Fortuna has the right spread for the job, and with the withdrawal of the DP requirement she is apparently the better of the two to get it done.

Russian drillers rejoice as oil continues to rally

The Russian oil and gas industry is profiting from the significant rise in oil prices and the uptick in global demand for hydrocarbons.

Russia’s oil and gas industry has been the driving force behind its economy ever since the first oil fields were discovered in Tsarist Russia at the end of the 19th century at the shores of the Caspian. In the 21st century, the Russian economy remains highly dependent on the production of oil and gas. Therefore, the rosy outlook of the fossil fuel industry is good news for Moscow and its political ambitions.

Last year was devastating for the global oil and gas sector as entire economies were paralyzed by government measures to stop the spread of Covid-19. Halfway through 2021, the situation has improved significantly as inoculation programs of most industrialized nations are progressing rapidly. Also, it seems developing nations could be receiving more help through the direct donations of vaccines and the possible waiving of patents.

The energy sector usually is one of the first to take advantage of the improving economy as virtually all activities are connected to energy. Therefore, Brent crude prices have surpassed $70/barrel which is the highest since May 2019. Demand is improving faster than supply which has prompted the IEA to call on OPEC+ to raise production.

Demand for oil products and gas reflects the new reality as economic activities are increasing globally. The Russian fossil fuel sector is taking advantage of the changing tide as energy prices are rising again. Earnings in the first 3 months of this year are up by 11-23 percent compared to this time last year.

Furthermore, two other factors are contributing to the robust revenue growth of Russian oil and gas companies which outperform their peers. The first is the increase in production. The OPEC+ agreement of which Russia is a signatory has agreed to gradually increase production each month until July 2021. The cartel, however, hasn’t specified whether it plans to continue the production growth after the summer.

The third and most important factor that sets the Russian oil and gas sector apart from its peers, is the weak ruble. Geopolitical tensions and economic fundamentals have affected the value of the Russian currency compared to the dollar which is usually used in international oil transactions. The current situation is favorable for the Russian oil sector as most sales are still executed in dollars while operating costs are settled in rubles.

Although the market fundamentals are in Russia’s favor, Moscow should be wary of becoming too comfortable. The energy transition is progressing in most industrialized nations which will gradually affect demand for oil products and natural gas. However, the Russian fossil fuel sector has some of the world’s lowest production costs at $3-5/barrel. Therefore, expect pumping to continue as long as there’s profit to be made.

Another factor contributing to the positive outlook of the Russian energy sector in the long term is the growing pressure western companies are experiencing to decarbonize. In recent years activist shareholders have held western oil majors such as Shell and BP accountable for their contribution to GHG emissions.

As western companies are expected to divest their interests in fossil fuels eventually, demand for oil products is primarily the developing world won’t disappear anytime soon. Russian companies, therefore, aren’t expected to change their course as they see an opportunity. Rosneft, for example, is investing $110 billion in the massive Vostok project that will deliver 100 million tonnes of oil annually by 2030 and which requires 400,000 workers to develop the necessary infrastructure.

While Moscow's GHG reduction policies lack ambition, most Russian companies feel the need to diversify. The global focus on sustainability is quickly becoming a new norm that is already affecting the fossil fuel industry. Russian companies, therefore, are gradually diversifying into CCS (carbon capture and storage) and hydrogen as customers in primarily Europe are aiming for rapid decarbonization.

Nevertheless, hydrocarbons will remain the backbone of the Russian energy sector. Rising prices are easing last year's pain which fuels the belief that the time of oil and gas isn't over yet. As long as there is demand for fossil fuels somewhere in the world, expect Russian companies to be the last to leave the industry behind.

What a shit article.

Oil and gas constitute 9% of Russia's overall economy. That isn't the main driving force FFS.

Same old and lame propaganda projection trying to convert Russia into a one-commodity banana republic.

One that can field the only deployed hypersonic missile systems and maneuvering glide warheads on ICBMs.

Selling oil apparently opens a magic shop in Moscow where a gin sells advanced tech.

Keep stroking those dicks, losers.

I'm gonna ask 1 more time, phst, start posting the source or I'll start a petition to get you banned.

This shit article is from RT if anyone is interested.

miketheterrible wrote:I'm gonna ask 1 more time, phst, start posting the source or I'll start a petition to get you banned.

This shit article is from RT if anyone is interested.

RT is staffed by foreigners in each of its respective markets. It is not under Putin's personal 24/7 supervision in every microscopic
aspect. Just like RIA and later Sputnik keep on using NATzO propaganda language such as "pro-government opposition" as if this
was a legitimate terminology for Russia's opposition parties (are they supposed to be seditionists to prove their opposition credentials
or what the f*ck), RT is going to spew NATzO-think on more than one occasion. I judge the articles and reports by their content
and not where they came from. Anti-Russian propaganda from RT is still anti-Russian. It does not become clean because it comes
from RT.

Also, we see how hard it is to actually force organizations to toe the party line. This says a lot of about the true totalitarianism in
the west that its "free" media sings like an Orwellian chorus. Russia's so-called state controlled media (even though there are
foreign owned and financed media in Russia) does not have this Orwellian conformity.

I know @mike and @kvs especially have gone into great detail explaining the relative significance of oil and gas to the Russian economy. Unfortunately there's nowhere these explanatory posts can be found together. (I recall "liking" a request for this to be done).

The health and resilience of the Russian economy is paramount to the defence and safety of the country. The demise of the Soviet Union should be enough of a forewarning. It is important, therefore, for those interested in obtaining a realistic and objective perspective of Russia's overall strength and global power status to be able to sift through the deliberate spread of disinformation and fake news.

There are statements and reports of Russia labelled a petro-state, nothing more than a gas station with nukes etc. that stubbornly pervades mainstream media for years now. They claim that the oil and gas sector accounts for 1/3 of Russia's GDP and as high as 50% of government revenues. These numbers are spouted with such frequency and regularity I recall either @kvs or @mike threatening to quit the forum out of sheer exasperation trying to dispel the torrent of lies! (thankfully the will to fight on triumphed). Perhaps rather than arguing till your faces turn blue, you guys could once and for all dispel the myths and the mods could create a safe thread where those seeking/in denial of the truth could be referred to. Searches can be tedious and there's also a search limit set (can't go past a certain number of posts apparently). Anyway, appreciate your insights guys. Thanks!

PhSt wrote:Nevertheless, hydrocarbons will remain the backbone of the Russian energy sector.

Nevertheless, hydrocarbons will remain the backbone of the global energy sector.

slasher wrote:I know @mike and @kvs especially have gone into great detail explaining the relative significance of oil and gas to the Russian economy. Unfortunately there's nowhere these explanatory posts can be found together. (I recall "liking" a request for this to be done).

The health and resilience of the Russian economy is paramount to the defence and safety of the country. The demise of the Soviet Union should be enough of a forewarning. It is important, therefore, for those interested in obtaining a realistic and objective perspective of Russia's overall strength and global power status to be able to sift through the deliberate spread of disinformation and fake news.

There are statements and reports of Russia labelled a petro-state, nothing more than a gas station with nukes etc. that stubbornly pervades mainstream media for years now. They claim that the oil and gas sector accounts for 1/3 of Russia's GDP and as high as 50% of government revenues. These numbers are spouted with such frequency and regularity I recall either @kvs or @mike threatening to quit the forum out of sheer exasperation trying to dispel the torrent of lies! (thankfully the will to fight on triumphed). Perhaps rather than arguing till your faces turn blue, you guys could once and for all dispel the myths and the mods could create a safe thread where those seeking/in denial of the truth could be referred to. Searches can be tedious and there's also a search limit set (can't go past a certain number of posts apparently). Anyway, appreciate your insights guys. Thanks!

I was working on one collecting data to build a thread but I'm rather busy these days and it's gonna get more busy. But I'll work on it with KVS as we both talked about it.

I opened a new thread to initiate what slasher requested. The debunking is posted more than once, but you have to wade through a lot of old
posts to find it. The new thread "Russia is not an oil banana republic" is intended to be a FAQ and to make finding the relevant references easier.
It should be kept short and any discussion should be moved to other threads. As I find more information I will update the thread. But it already
does its job. When you hear 50%, the real number is 9% according to the world bank. And this number is declining with time as Russia's
economy grows.

kvs wrote:I opened a new thread to initiate what slasher requested.   The debunking is posted more than once, but you have to wade through a lot of old
posts to find it.   The new thread "Russia is not an oil banana republic" is intended to be a FAQ and to make finding the relevant references easier.
It should be kept short and any discussion should be moved to other threads.   As I find more information I will update the thread.   But it already
does its job.   When you hear 50%, the real number is 9% according to the world bank.   And this number is declining with time as Russia's
economy grows.

lol and so did I

Hopefully GarryB or George can fix this by merging them.

@PhSt, it is a forum rule that links are included when posting articles... even just to allow members to check they are complete and unaltered and not selectively posted. This is a warning to comply.

This is not the most heinous crime on the forum so be aware you will not be banned for not posting links.

You will eventually be banned for ignoring instructions from a mod however and of course posts of articles without source links may be deleted without warning.

@Mike, the article was reposted on RT but was originally posted on Oilprice.com.

ie https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Russian-Drillers-Rejoice-As-Oil-Continues-To-Rally.html

Personally I think the article tries to be catty and is clearly upset because oil prices are going to climb and Russia is going to benefit and there is clearly nothing they can do about it and it pisses them off.

In that sense I am glad it was posted, but also glad you took the time to point out the bullshit little details of propaganda included by the author.

GarryB wrote:

Personally I think the article tries to be catty and is clearly upset because oil prices are going to climb and Russia is going to benefit and there is clearly nothing they can do about it and it pisses them off.

In general, oilprice.com is a very trusted and reputable source. Still, they have the same anti-Russian agenda as all the other western sources. James Stafford, who is the founder of it, is a typical bankster publishing widely in all the MSM.
It always makes me laugh when they start to explain to the audience, how much Russia is dependant on hydrocarbons.
One can not find it when they write about Norway. Or Saudi Arabia. Or Scotland.
It is perfectly fine for "our son of a bitch" to have a huge dependency on one of the assets.

The western sponsored and NATzO sycophant liberasts in Russia routinely drivel on about how exports of gas to China
are being done at ultra low prices and are stupid compared to fellating NATzO. Funny how these 5th column stooges
never bitched about price discounts for Ukraine. Whatever.

Gazprom has released the first figures for volumes and prices of exports via Power of Siberia to China. Russia sold
gas to China in 2020 for $150 per thousand cubic meters. This is higher than Gazprom received from its
European consumers which averaged $143 per tcm. Russian gas was the cheapest China imported so this was
a win-win for both countries.

They bitched about the price discounts, before the first "brown revolution" the brussel syndicate declared that Russia should stop subsidizing her neighbours because it would hinder their economic development.

Fortuna has 100 days to complete Nord Stream 2

The Fortuna barge has 100 days left to complete the construction of Nord Stream 2. Such terms were not only named by the project operator in the updated schedules. Until October, a permit from the German regulator is valid for the construction of a gas pipeline in German waters. If the Akademik Chersky pipelayer does not return to the route, the German section will be completed last.

According to the navigation portals Marinetraffic and Vesselfinder, the Fortuna barge laid 700 meters per day, and the total completed section of the second string of the Baltic gas pipeline after the resumption of construction was 22 kilometers. The vessel still has to lay just over 63 kilometers: 47 kilometers in Danish waters and 16.5 kilometers in German. And he needs to meet in a hundred days.

In a warning to seafarers, the Danish Maritime Office says the work is scheduled to be completed by the end of September. The same timeframe is stated in the updated work schedule, which the project operator submitted to the Danish Energy Agency. Moreover, the Federal Office for Shipping and Hydrography of Germany (BSH) previously reported that the permit to lay the gas pipeline in German waters is valid until the end of September.

With such a timeframe, "Fortuna" should lay more than 600 meters per day, excluding downtime due to bad weather and rearrangement of anchors. On favorable days, the barge is capable of building 1,300 meters, but it all depends on the weather. For the next week, the Swedish Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology (SMHI) predicts quite favorable conditions.

https://k--politika-ru.translate.goog/u-fortuny-ostalos-100-dnej-chtoby-dostroit-severnyj-potok-2/?utm_source=finobzor.ru&_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB&_x_tr_pto=ajax,se

The Fortuna laid considerable pipe on the first day but it seems to be moving more slowly the past couple of days.
The Akademik Cherskiy is also finally moving once again.

The media pointed to the growth of Europe's demand for Russian gas, 22.06.2021

Europe's demand for Russian gas supplies is growing amid declining reserves and will reach high levels this winter, Bloomberg reported, citing expert estimates.

According to Gas Infrastructure Europe, gas reserves in Europe today are 25% lower than those considered normal for this time of year, TASS reports.

At the same time, according to the specialists of the American bank Citigroup, by the beginning of the heating season the level of gas in the storage facilities will be at the lowest level in the last five years. This is due in part to the fact that most of the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is currently going to Asia to meet the needs of China and India. Another reason Bloomberg notes is that gas supplies and the Nordic countries fell to their lowest levels since January.

According to the agency, this contributed to the fact that Europe turned out to be even more dependent on Russia.

"Reducing tensions in the European market, which already faced the highest prices since 2008, may thus depend on Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that connects Russia with Germany, [which is] experiencing delays due to US sanctions." , - the agency notes.

Vice President of the consulting company Wood Mackenzie Massimo Di Odoardo noted that if Nord Stream 2 is not launched by the beginning of the heating season, and Russia does not increase gas transit to Europe through Ukraine, this could “threaten with price increases” for European consumers.

“I doubt the blackouts will follow, but at the moment the winter period promises to be difficult,” he said.

Earlier, the VZGLYAD newspaper wrote that Europe, for the sake of profit, went to betrayal, sharply increasing the consumption of coal against the backdrop of a shortage of natural gas.

Text: Evgeniya Shestak

https://m.vz.ru/news/2021/6/22/1105363.html

Sell less gas for more money, put Ukraine to dry and make clear to Europeans how things work. Looks like a nice deal to me

The fact is that Europe is not dependent on Russian gas... they have lots of forests they could chop down to provide heat in the winter months if they need to.

The real fact is that they choose to use Russian gas because it is their cheapest and most convenient option for energy.

They could start building nuclear power stations if they wanted... they are rich... they can afford it...

GarryB wrote:The fact is that Europe is not dependent on Russian gas... they have lots of forests they could chop down to provide heat in the winter months if they need to.

The real fact is that they choose to use Russian gas because it is their cheapest and most convenient option for energy.

They could start building nuclear power stations if they wanted... they are rich... they can afford it...

There is a funny Putins dialogue with the German press 15 or so years back.
He was saying something like this: you don't want atomic energy? Fine, that is your choice. No coal? Well, understand that. Disputing the gas supply? Well, that is your decision. How do you want to heat your homes in winter? With wood? Well, even better, there are lots of trees in Siberia! That sounded funnier in original Russian, as the whole sentence was a line of understatements, with the general concept that all of these energy sources are in possession of Russia, so he don't even care about the "European colleagues" new and brilliant ideas

This whole gas farse is a masquerade.
The Soviet Union provided the gas&oil to Western Europe at the peak of the Cold War. Yamal pipeline was opened in 1983, and the gas volume pumped with it functionally doubled till 1990 to 60+ bln m3.
It was never used as a tool of political pressure, I would say it was the opposite. Provided the SU and Europe the common playground of mutual interests.
That is something that bothers Murica in the first place.
The other is, that Murican goons are demanding bribes to cover the smell of its rotting corpse. There is no issue with buying Russian gas, oil, coal, or anything else. As long as you pay the bribes to them, pretending that you are buying the precious molecules of Freedom Energy Sources.
The fact that Freedom Gas is loaded at the Yamal peninsula, the Freedom Coal at the coal terminal in Novorossiysk, and Freedom Uranium came directly from the Rosatom warehouse is irrelevant. As long as the invoice is made in the USA, it would be rude to mention that