Rigs were mounted where geologist determined them to be

Within the recent 10 years the geologists of the company have discovered 27 oilfields, and in total, during all the period of functioning of «Aganneftegasgeologia» they have a record  of 84 hydrocarbon fields and more than 3,5 million meters of drilled rock. The company produced its first million tons of oil in January 2004, and since then a million is added to this amount annually. Nowadays daily production output at the oilfields of «Aganneftegasgeologia» amounts to 3 thousand tons of “black gold”.

In 2005 it was integrated into “RussNeft” holding which has a strong lead among the top companies of the fuel and energy sector of our country. “Russian Oil for welfare of Russia” – this is the motto “RussNeft” practices expanding the geography of its activities.

Geologists are Specific People

 There are many famous names among those who in various times were directly connected with the geological exploration of Nizhnevartovsky District. But the pioneers of the expedition have special respect for Farman Salmanov – a genuine Geologist. He believed in rich oil resources of Western Siberia and personally participated on development of Siberian oilfields. He had been the head geologist of Ust-Balykskaya expedition for two years.

The team of «Aganneftegasgeologia» remember everybody, they have even set up a museum of their company, where the photos of the past years, documents and showpieces are treasured. It was in this museum where the pathetic meeting of the veterans arrived to the 45th jubilee of their company took place.

Mikhail Palashkin was the fourth to head Ust-Balykskaya expedition. He headed it in 1971 – just at the time when the expedition moved from Nefteyugansk to the district of Novoagansk, where seismologists determined potentially productive oil and gas structures, in order to place the company closer to the “front line”. “ Argansk Geophysical expedition was already staying at the settlement, so we didn’t have to start from the scratch”, - Mikail Petrovich recollects. “ There were already a whole street of huts, a small shop, a bath-house... There was a construction site as well, but the construction was going on at low rate, for we short of lodging. In parallel with our direct work – exploration and well drilling – we unloaded barges. We worked at the oilfield already discovered, explored new ones, drilled wells. In 1973 Pokurskoye oilfield was discovered, and we carried on working at Pokachiovskoe oilfield. The people used to go to fieldwork and live in tents there.  Everybody had to wear high boots, for it was impossible to walk without them The team was really hardworking, but they all lived in Nefteyugansk and had to arrive here in shifts. So we had to employ new people and train them. I can’t say everybody could stand the trial, probably one worker of five stayed for long. We had been forming the expedition up for four years and at last we could do without commuting from Nefteyugansk. In 1975 there were 110 people working in Novoagansk.” Only the most  stout-hearted, devoted to their profession ones stayed there.

So many years passed, but veterans like to come to Novoagansk, to meet the people they used to work with, to see the place where it was so difficult and so interesting to work. Everything ahs changed since then. «Aganneftegasgeologia» is a powerful city-forming enterprise. The town of Novoagansk is not only a point on the map where 10 thousand people live. Each third one of them is working for the joint stock society, railways and dwelling houses are being built here. The people here treasure the memory of the pioneers, respect old traditions, render support art and sport and take care of veterans.

A legendary person

At those times the brigade of Alwxander Khalin was famous all over the Soviet Union. It was his brigade that drilled the first well at Vangapurovskaya pool in 55 days instead of the planned 100 days, and in 1972 at Sredne-Vatieganskaya pool they achieved a peak result 0 it took the brigade 26 days to drill well No 7. Alexander Andreevich, a war veteran, a reconnoiterer, added to his war medals innumerable labor awards. But the most treasured among them is the first one^ the medal “Labor Honor”. He was awarded this medal for discovery of Ust-Balykskoye oilfield. “I saw oil here for the first time  - after 13 years of searching. Before that I had been searching it in Barabinsk steppe, in Khakassia, in Kemerovo Region,  again in Omsk Region , after that – in Orhneurie. I came here in August 1961, with a brigade from Nefteyugansk”.It is a tremendous joy – to find oil, the legendary master says. Maybe it was for his rare intuition the workers called him “Shaman”. In the case of an accident everyone had its own way to remedy. Khalin, when called to help, would have a look, give short and clear instructions and - lo and behold!  - in an hour the case was fixed. Deep intuition plus professionalism, reach experience – all those factors led to excellent results.

Alexander Andreyevuch, an optimist and a merry-maker, is still as joyful and active as he used to be. In 1984 the legendary drillmaster retired and left for Tyumen. But he is in touch with the team of geologists, his daughter lives in the settlement. It is hardly possible to give up all the connections which have formed during forty years.

Nowadays he is an authority with the geologists of North Tyumen. It is not only because of the fact that he has trained famous specialists and can be proud of each of them.  “I wish you could have seen Khalin’s brigade at work!” , Alexander Andreyevich’s eyes start to dance. “If I could repeat my life I would have lived exactly the same way.”   16 drillmasters were trained in his brigade and neither of them has ever let their famous teacher down. Many of them go on working here. “Slava Bukrin came to my drilling site when he was only 17. And he has become a drillmaster as well, an honored geologist of the Khanty-Mansy Autonomous Area, a State Prize winner”, Khalin says proudly about his disciple, who is nowadays  constructing roads to new drilling sites – he is the head of a road construction site. A.A.Khalin himself heads the council of veteran geologists of Northern enterprises. The council numbers 502 veterans of geology of the Yamal and 180 people from Khanty-Mansy Autonomous Area. The council of veterans considers that its main task is taking care of the retired people, who gave many years of their lives, their youth and health for development of the Northern land, and afterwards were mostly forgotten. “We approached the governors of Yamal, Yugra and Tyumen region with the request to add two thousand rubles to the pensions of those who had worked in the North for 15 years and more. Neyelov approved our suggestion and the retired people of Yamal have already been receiving this extra payment. form the beginning of the year; invalids -  those who have worked for 10 and more years, war veterans – those with the record of five and more years, and the others – with the record of 15 years. Now I’m going to ask Victor Alexandrovich Gbchugov, member of the Council of the Federation to help me obtain the same result for the people of Yugra”, says A.A.Khalin.

Not for women?

Who has ever said that geologist is a job for men?  Many women in «Aganneftegasgeologia» are directly connected with this profession. For example, 50% of the personnel of the department of geology belong to the weaker sex. Actually, any family has the right to celebrate Geologist’s Day, for in each one there is somebody working for «Aganneftegasgeologia».

“What is it like - to be a geologist’s wife?” says Tatiana Nikolayevna Rogova. “It isn’t easy, for the husband  spends all his time at the drilling site. We have lived with Vladimir Alexandrovich like that for 30 years. I married a mechanic who worked for geologists. Later he became the chief of a maintenance shop, next – Chief Mechanic, now he is working at “Agatbureniye”. We have seen various times. All the settlement depended on the expedition. Telephone used to ring day and night in case of any emergency. We lived like soldiers at the firing line. And even now we have a lot of concerns – the weather is rainy, the roads are out of order and we have to deliver equipment to the drilling sites.
The family of A.A.Khalin have had a lot of trouble in those times: they had to move to a new place 11 times, with little kids and all. And, the veteran affirms, his wife had never said a word of reproach. That’s what geologists’ wives are like.

Congratulations from the stage

At that day the sky over Novoagansk was clear and shining, the town bathed in first spring sunrays. And shinning smiles and warm greetings of the veterans who came to celebrate the jubilee of their company matched the weather. The first president of OAO MPK «Aganneftegasgeologia», at present – a member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia, Victor Pichugov, in his congratulatory speech said: “I know for certain, «Aganneftegasgeologia» will develop, and I believe it will celebrate its centennial! ”The president of “RussNeft”, Mikail Gutseriev sent a telegram with congratulations and best wishes to the veterans and workers of «Aganneftegasgeologia».

Congratulatory speeches were also delivered by the head of Nizhnevartovsk District Boris Salomatin and one of the first administrators of Agansk oil exploratory expedition, at present – the head of Nizhnevartovsk administration,  Boris Khokhriakov. “But for you, the people who have chosen this profession, Khanty-Mansy Area wouldn’t have reached such level of development, the power of Russia wouldn’t have been half as great.  Many thanks to you!”, - so Boris Alexandrovich addressed the veterans. And the Mayor of Nizhnevartovsk recollected end of the 80th when he was the head of the enterprise. Comparing those days with the present times he noted that «Aganneftegasgeologia» has practically given the geologists’ settlement the second life. “It’s such a pleasure to see familiar faces, the people I used to work with. I don’t think there can be ex-geologists”, - he added.

“What is Novoagansk famous for? You get tied up to it for the whole life. Wherever you are, you compare you life with the days you spent here”, said a veteran of geological exploration Alexander Zaitsev in his speech at the jubilee.  “I can recognize everybody, I remember everybody’s name, position, job. I often recall various cases which seem more like anecdotes or legends now, and it feels so good to think that all those things were a part of our lives”.

The significance of five minutes

One of the drillmasters «Aganneftegasgeologia» is proud of is Vassily Khramov. He came to work to Ust-Balykskskaya expedition as an experienced geologist and drillman. He had drilled the Yugra rock for nine years. After that he worked in Germany, in Yamal. In 1974 he came back and had worked until 1992 as a supervisor, head of DETC, head of production service base. “It’s impossible to compare the conditions we used to work in with those of nowadays. I can remember how we tried to get to Novogodnyaya pool. We had two bulldozers, a lot of heavy equipment, 10 cubic meters of fuel, and practically no road. The tours were nine days long and the drill masters often didn’t leave the site at all. Today many people like to depict the drillmen waiting for the blowout. In fact, nobody was waiting, we were just working and were happy when oil was found”, Vassily Ivanovich recalls. And how they longed to achieve better results in their work! They even tried to dodge: when a drillman came to relieve another, the first one would set his watch five minutes forward  to work for some more time, and the other would set it five minutes back, to start the work earlier. And at present, the famous master says,   the greatest award is to know that people remember you.

The young treasure professional secrets

Of course, everybody remembers the veterans, because many people taught by them are still working at the company. Among them there is Vataly Alexandrovich Frolov, who calls those times “school of life”. Ht says:” I went to military service from here, and I turned back here again.  Such drillmen as Ivan Ivanovich Ryabov, Zudenkov taught me the elementaries and the secrets of our profession. Besides, they taught us just to live, they cared about us like fathers.” This must be a real luck – to meet such people who can become a beacon, a symbol for you.

Today the honored traditions of  veteran geologists are carried on by the younger. Drillmasters Nikolai Truch, Peter Sikora and Mikhail  Stefantsiv are real professionals. In whatever faraway and hard-to-get-to places they had to work, everywhere they apply modern drilling technologies, their names are known to everybody, they are the present day of the company. Frankly speaking,  the profession of a geologist has hardly ever changed for  the passed decades. The geologists still are the first ones who walk through swamps and taiga discovering subsoil treasuries of Yugra. But the living conditions have changed dramatically.

«Aganneftegasgeologia» is not called “the forge of personnel” for nothing. Its “graduates” are now working at many Russian enterprises and are proud to be numbered among those who call themselves geologists. These were true words: there are no ex-geologists.

Geological exploration has remained the leading trend of the company’s activity for long. In the beginning of the 80th Agansk oil exploration expedition was recognized as the largest in the USSR in this field. In the 90th the priority of «Aganneftegasgeologia»’s activity started gradually shifting to oil production, and at present it has become a major upstream company which possesses its own license areas. In Oil and Gas Company “RussNeft” the year 2007 is declared the year of drilling.
It means much. «Aganneftegasgeologia» still  remains one of the main contractors of Khanty-Mansy Autonomous Area – Yugra for implementation of the program for survey of the resources of the area.

Recently «Aganneftegasgeologia» have won a tender and bought a new license area, Chukhlorsky. “It opens new prospects for us”, said the General Director First Deputy, Chief Engineer of OAO MPK «Aganneftegasgeologia» Evgeni Shatski. “By the order of the Ministry of natural Resources the geologists of our subsidiary, OAO “Aganbureniye” are starting in May to drill Lekos parametric well No 27, 4 thousand meters deep…” So the geologists of the company have a lot of work to do, and nobody can do this work better. Russian oil, including Yugra oil, to say without exaggeration, will serve for the glory of Russia for many years ahead.
        Tatiana Yakhont
         Photo: Nikolay Rogov