EURO-ECO 2010 Hanover 2 - 3 Dezember 2010	Environmental, Engineering - Economic and Legal Aspects for Sustainable Living
	European Academy of Natural Sciences, Hanover European Scientific Society, Hanover University of Bremen, Bremen

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Comparing emissions of petroleum fluids during emergencies in the Mexican Gulf and on the Tengiz field (the latter took place in 1985) we can see that 9138 tons of petroleum were discharged in average in the Mexican Gulf while on the Tengiz field 8548 tons were discharged. Weight of emissions in both regions are almost equal.

Currently gigantic sub-salt high-sulfur oil-and-gas shelf deposits in Kazakhstan part of the Caspian sea are being mined and the scope of the works is unprecedented for oil industry of Kazakhstan. Analysis shows that emergencies happen in places where earth crust containing huge oil deposits is characterized with tectonic activity.

According to geophysical research data, oil deposits Kashagan, Kayran, Aktoty, Korolevskoye and Tengizskoye are located in one and the same complicated zone, 160 m long and 40 km wide. These oil fields are a “powder-barrel” with abnormally high pressure, temperature and content of hydrogen sulfides.

It should be noted that Kashagan is a unique deposit in the shallow zone of the Caspian sea northern part rich in bioresources and nutritive resources, moreover, located on migration routes of fishes and birds. Our research shows that in this region biomass quantity per unit of area is approximately 1,5-2 times higher than in the rest of the sea. Only 0,94% of total volume of the sea characterized with ecological hyperfragility belongs to Kazakhstan and the total area of the Kazakhstan part makes up 27,73% of the sea (i.e. 398 000 sq.m), average depth is 6,2 m. If one discharges a ton of petroleum in a unit of volume in different parts of the sea, level of lethal concentration is reached here much faster. That is why the sea must be treated with care, its bioresources must be preserved and mass diseases and poisoning of nature must be prevented in the future.

At the same time, uniqueness of the Caspian sea, being the largest in the world habitat of sturgeons, makes its problems global and Caspian sea biodiversity preservation becomes a concern of the whole world community.

Despite unique bioresources and riskiness of wide-area oil production in the region, big countries such as USA, UK, France, Italy, Russia, China and Kazakhstan itself are interested in long-term field development on the Caspian sea shelf.

If our government, in particular Ministry for Environmental Protection, doesn’t organize an independent working team of Russian scientists and western companies specialists in complex monitoring, sooner or later (may be even next year) disastrous oil-and-gas discharges will happen in Kazakhstan area of the Caspian sea. To eliminate them will take at least two months.

Later on, the cycle “well boring, production + disastrous oil-and-gas discharges + elimination + production” are going to repeat. After each cycle toxicity level of sea water will get higher and more dangerous.