Patrushev sees production of Russian equipment, technologies for deep-sea drilling in ice conditions as key objective

NARYAN-MAR. May 15 (Interfax) - A key objective is to manufacture domestic equipment and create technologies in Russia for deep-sea drilling and operations in ice conditions, Russian presidential aide and Russian Maritime Board Chairman Nikolai Patrushev said.

Sanctions introduced against Russia restricted its access to advanced foreign equipment and technologies for extracting mineral resources, Patrushev said at a meeting of the Maritime Board's maritime activity development council on Friday.

The Russian government and mining companies are working to replace critical imported equipment with the help of leading R&D organizations and industrial enterprises, he said. Re-engineering centers are also being created in order to be able to operate available foreign equipment.

"At the same time, a key objective is the transition to domestic production of all necessary process equipment and the creation of Russian technologies for deep-sea drilling and operations in ice conditions," Patrushev said.

Individual components and assemblies for drilling rigs are being developed, he said, adding that the first Russian underwater manifold has been created in a project that involved more than 60 Russian organizations.

"Russian-made underwater fittings able to operate at depth under high pressure as well as automated seafloor seismic monitoring stations are being put into operation," Patrushev said.

Russia is also developing systems to drill long slanted wells from the coast and is taking measures to provide state support to research focusing on technologies to extract hard-to-recover reserves and offshore drilling technologies, Patrushev said.