LUKOIL SUPPORTS FIRST ENVIRONMENTAL EXPEDITION TO VILKITSKY ISLAND IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN
Monday, August 7, 2017
LUKOIL supported an environmental expedition to scavenge Vilkitsky Island in the east of the Kara Sea, as envisaged by a cooperation agreement between the company and the government of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District.
After two weeks of work, a team of fifteen volunteers, from Russia, Israel and Bulgaria, including environmental scientists and representatives of LUKOIL, completed the cleaning of two hectares of land on the island. The expedition also performed air photography and hydro-ecological studies, and made an inventory of hazardous wastes and of abandoned infrastructure facilities. The volunteers took more than 100 samples of soil, water and flora for further study and made the local weather station a more comfortable dwelling for future expeditions. Grass seeds of two special varieties, provided by the Saint-Petersburg Forest Engineering University, were sown on the island as part of the experiment.
Scavenging of the northern territories is LUKOIL’s contribution to the state-run
program aimed to remedy the environmental damage accumulated in the Arctic
region during the Soviet period. The company will support a new expedition of
scientists and volunteers to Vilkitsky Island next year to restore its designated
natural area and undertake scientific research of the local ecosystem.
