The reserves announced by the Russian geological agency Rosgeo are equivalent to more than 500 billion barrels of crude oil, enough to meet global demand for 14 years, according to The Telegraph on May 14. Venezuela, the country with the world's largest oil reserves, has 303 billion barrels. Saudi Arabia has 298 billion barrels and Canada has 160 billion barrels.
Rosgeo announced the oil and gas reserves discovered following a new expedition by the research vessel Alexander Karpinsky and after years of detailed surveys by Rosgeo, including ventures in large areas of the area claimed by Britain, according to The Telegraph .
A Russian geological agency ship has found huge oil and gas reserves.
Msn.com screenshot
“The data obtained during the new expedition… will significantly clarify our expectations regarding the oil and gas prospects of the Antarctic Shelf seas,” said Sergey Kozlov, chief geologist at PMGE, a subsidiary of Rosgeo.
The crude oil reserves are found around the Antarctic Peninsula, the most accessible part of the icy continent due to its proximity to southern Argentina and Chile. It is also an area claimed by the United Kingdom as well as Argentina and Chile.
But the biggest obstacle preventing Russia from accessing the newly discovered crude oil reserves is the Antarctic Treaty, which prohibits the continent from being used for mineral extraction or for commercial exploitation, according to As.com .
The Antarctic Treaty was originally signed by 12 countries in 1959 as part of an effort to ensure scientific cooperation. At that time, seven countries had made claims to territory in Antarctica: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, while the United States and Russia (then the Soviet Union) both reserved the right to make future claims without recognizing the claims of others, according to The Telegraph .
However, some experts in the region have little faith that Russia will abide by the Antarctic Treaty. “The Antarctic Treaty now faces new challenges, particularly from Russia… and from an increasingly assertive China,” TromnKlaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway University and an Antarctic expert, told The Telegraph .
Mr. Dodds also noted: “Rosgeo has been involved in seismic studies and other related topographical work… Russia’s activities should be understood as a decision to undermine the norms related to seismic research and ultimately the premise for future resource exploitation.”
There is no information yet on Russia's reaction to Mr. Dodds' comments.
Antarctica, which is about 56 times the total land area of the United Kingdom, is not currently governed by any country, making it a giant uninhabited and inhospitable landmass, according to The Telegraph .
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nga-phat-hien-tru-luong-dau-lon-nhat-the-gioi-nhung-khong-the-khai-khac-185240521145740519.htm
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