The presence of the drilling rig Erik Raude in the Barents Sea illustrates the global nature of the offshore oil business. There is also a Canadian connnection to what is going on in your part of the world. The Erik Raude was built in Canada, and has operated in Canada, Cuba, and Scandinavia. It is often hailed as the kind of rig that would be used in the Queen Charlotte Basin, off the North Coast of British Columbia. This is an area remarkably similar to Norway's Lofoten Islands. The Queen Charlotte Basin is characterised by a deeply indented coast, with steep fjords, tremendous biodiversity, lucrative fishery, etc. In addition, an extremely valuable cruise ship business operates in the area, part of the Alaskan trade. We also have an offshore oil and gas moratorium here on the North Coast, which the local 'cargo cult'is trying to have lifted. Plus, there is a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic. Both were established in the early seventies, when plans to transport Alaskan oil south were being developed. Opening up the area to oil and gas exploration, development and transport would threaten this precious marine ecoystem, which is often referred to as the Galapagos of the North.

The presence of the drilling rig Erik Raude in the Barents Sea demonstrates the global nature of the ofshore oil business. There is also a Canadian connnection to what is going on in your part of the world. The Erik Raude was built in Canada, and has operated in Canada, Cuba and Scandinavia. It is often cited as the kind of rig that would be used in the Queen Charlotte Basin, off the Norh Coast of British Columbia. This is an area remarkably similar to Norways's Lofoten Islands. The Queen Charlotte Basin is characterised by a deeply indented coast, with steep fjords, tremendous biodiversity, lucrative fishery, etc. In addition, an extremely valuable cruise ship business operates in the area, part of the Alaskan trade. We have an offshore oil and gas moratorium here on the North Coast, which the local 'cargo cult' is trying to have lifted. We also have a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic. Both were established in the early seventies, when plans to transport Alaskan oil south were being developed. Opening up the area to oil and gas exploration, production and transportation would threaten the marine ecosystem, which is often referred to as the Galapagos of the North.

Just as a bit of background, the Erik Raude is actually a Canadian-built drilling rig that has operated in Canada, Cuba and parts of Scandinavia. It's sister rig is currently operating off Angola. The two of them are amongst the largest rigs in the world. The Erik Raude is often touted as the kind of rig that would be used for offshore oil exploration in the Queen Charlotte Basin, off the North Coast of British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada, where Shell and ChevronTexaco are among the leaseholders. Moratoria on exploration and crude oil tanker traffic have been in place there for over thirty years - ever since the Alaskan tanker routes were being planned. The Queen Charlotte Basin is what is known in the trade as an extreme operating environment, and is home to a total of twenty-one threatened or endangered species.

The Erik Raude was built in Canada, and has operated in Canada, Cuba and more recently Scandinavia. The government of British Columbia, Canada cites this drilling rig as being ideal for use in the Queen Charlotte Basin, off the North Coast, where there is also an offshore oil and gas moratorium, as well as a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic. British Columbia also received a delegation from Norway in Novemmer of 2002, at which time presentations were made touting the safety and benefits of offshore exploration and production. So, there is more than one link between what is going on in your part of the world and what is transpiring in my neck of the woods.