Around our facilities in the Caspian Sea, off the coast of Azerbaijan, we’ve been using samples collected from marine habitats to help us assess potential conservation risks. Before we begin new offshore extraction activities in the Caspian, we first conduct a survey of the seafloor, collecting samples which can be analysed in our labs. 

These initial samples tell us the metal content of the water, the level of naturally occurring hydrocarbons and the species composition (from fish to plankton to other organisms) in the vicinity of our planned operations. This is valuable data, which we can compare against data from later surveys to tell whether anything has changed in the underwater environment since our construction and production activities began. For example, in 2010 we surveyed the seabed around the route of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunelshi pipeline and compared the data with previous environmental surveys from 2000, 2006 and 2008. In this instance, no major changes were found, suggesting that our work in the area had not significantly impacted the sediment chemistry, the physical characteristics of the seabed or the balance of sea life in the vicinity. Read More