Spotted: First Arctic Oil Delivered to Umba

The first shipments of oil from the Novoportovskoye and Prirazlomnoye fields have been delivered to the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Umba, anchored in the Kola Bay, Russia, allowing the full-scale utilisation of a new logistics scheme for the transhipment of oil produced by Gazprom Neft at its Arctic fields.

According to Gazprom Neft, the positioning of this transhipment complex in the ice-free Kola Bay means efficiency is improved as a result of reduced turnaround times on the double-hulled ice-class tanker’s return trips delivering oil from the Novoportovskoye and Prirazlomnoye fields.

The maximum freight turnover that can be handled by the transhipment complex is up to 15 million tonnes of oil per year.

Umba, operated by RPK NORD LLC, is a moored oil transhipment complex with a total cargo capacity of around 300,000 tonnes, able to accommodate the simultaneous berthing of vessels on both sides.

Its on-board infrastructure makes possible the intake, storage and transhipment of oil, and its full and timely customs and border clearance, as well as bunkering operations for shuttle-tankers and transporters.

“The commissioning of a new logistics scheme for the transhipment of Arctic oil is a unique project for Russia — both in terms of efficiency as well as sheer scale — in managing the work of the tanker fleet under Arctic conditions. It also represents an opportunity for us to meet market demand through standard tanker consignments,” Anatoly Cherner, Gazprom Neft Deputy CEO for Logistics, Processing and Sales, said.