Opinions

OMR 2024 Discussed the Arctic Developments: Simply A Display or Real Advances?

 

This year’s Offshore Marintec Russia expo-conference showcased numerous technological developments for the Arctic, including new vessel concepts, vehicles, mining and liquefaction equipment, security devices, and more. The question remains whether this venue is merely a manifestation of Russia's aspirations in the Arctic or a real step towards the development of the region. The editorial board of the Arctic Century shares the opinion.

Credit: OMR / SPGIF

The Arctic Century has already reported on some developments presented at OMR conference this year:

The event was part of the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum and took place in one of the pavilions.

OMR is the only hybrid platform in Russia that unites discussions on topics such as offshore oil and gas mining, navigation, communication, and industrial and environmental security in the region. Among the products presented at the expo, visitors could see showcases of off-road vehicles, methane-powered vehicles, hovercraft, and smaller high-tech equipment essential for mining, such as pipes, valves, and cables.

Russian Segment

Among Russian companies, shipbuilding firm Zvezda showcased both new and existing developments. These included models of a gas carrier developed for the Arctic LNG 2 project and a model of the icebreaker 22220, which is currently the most popular vessel on the Northern Sea Route.

Credit: OMR / SPGIF
Ship models presented by Zvezda

The Kurchatovsky Research Institute presented its advancements in the nuclear sector, including materials developed specifically for Arctic conditions. Among the larger projects with which the Institute has collaborated is the small modular reactor Elena, capable of generating 1 MWt of electricity, as well as the concept of a submarine LNG tanker.

Credit: Kurchatovsky Institute
The submarine will use the same reactor RITM-200 (on the left) as the nuclear icebreakers. The Leader is presented in this model.

In the transport sector, a company from Krasnoyarsk—Sever (North)—displayed its off-road vehicles and hovercraft designed specifically for northern conditions. Among the benefits listed by the company is their low ground pressure, which helps to preserve the Arctic environment.

Credit: OMR

The company plans to reprofile these vehicles to operate on methane in the coming year to enhance their eco-friendliness. Currently, these modes of transport run on gas and diesel, which is more commonly used in the Arctic.

Smaller stands showcased mining, liquefaction, geological exploration and dredging equipment, as well as new communication technologies, anti-drone systems that counter UAV frequencies, energy storage systems, pipes, cables, and even paints developed specifically for mining equipment.

Seemingly, most projects presented at the venue have remained in the discourse for a rather long time. Such is, for example, the question of submersible technologies and a nuclear reactor that has been undergoing testing for decades.

Prospects of International Cooperation

The majority of foreign partners at the event were represented by Chinese companies with a few exceptions of Turkish firms.

It is worth noting that Chinese firms demonstrated a greater interest in manufacturing mining equipment. It is also noteworthy that Indian companies were not present at the event, despite the fact that Russia had previously announced its intention to collaborate with India on the construction of icebreakers.

Some Chinese companies with experience in manufacturing oil and gas extraction equipment in various countries have recently entered the Russian market and see significant potential for cooperation with Russia.

The international participation indicates that despite Western sanctions imposed on Russia, China considers the Arctic cooperation to be a working tool to diversify country's access to the market and still aims to facilitate investments in promising fields.

Overall, the event highlights a growing interest from diverse industries in Arctic development, but doesn't show any new trends or advancements in the field.

We observe how Arctic-specific technologies are being developed by businesses and how companies aim to establish a foothold in this emerging market surrounding Arctic issues, but state-wise everything remains in the same line of thought.

Most notably, however, approaches towards the region are becoming increasingly innovative as interest grows in submersible technologies and smaller-scale nuclear applications.

The Editorial Board of the Arctic Century

18.10.2024