As part of our long-term commitment to the petroleum sector in north-west Russia, we are working to improve the capacity to address environmental challenges and risks associated with industrial development.

Our efforts in the region have focused in particular on improving the institutions, systems and procedures required to address and respond to oil spills. Firstly, we are supporting a project to transfer Norwegian oil spill response equipment and expertise to the Murmansk Centre for Standardization, Metrology and Certification. In June 2008, a new oil spill laboratory was inaugurated by the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr Støre, and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The opening marked a new milestone in the environmental cooperation between StatoilHydro and relevant authorities and parties in north-west Russia.

The opening of the oil spill laboratory is part of a broad environmental programme aimed at strengthening emergency response to oil spills off north-western Russia, implemented jointly by StatoilHydro and Murmansk regional government within the framework of the MoU on technical and economic cooperation.

For instance, we have engaged with relevant authorities and players in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk to exchange and transfer environmental skills and knowledge, including comparing and standardising relevant environmental procedures, information and data from the broader Barents region.

Drawing on this, we also aim to contribute to the development of an environmental management plan for Kolafjord. There is also considerable interest in Arkhangelsk in learning from StatoilHydro's experience from the Norwegian continental shelf of how to manage relations with local fishing interests and avoiding potential conflicts.