Shell may become Arctic oil partner

Novo-Ogaryovo: Royal Dutch Shell could become a partner in Arctic oil exploration of Russia’s biggest producer Rosneft, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said yesterday.

British major BP is not out of the picture, he added, speaking to journalists at his residence outside of Moscow.

Asked whether Shell could join Rosneft to search for oil in the Arctic offshore, Putin said: “It can. We have worked with Shell comfortably for a long time.”

But Putin said it is was up to state-controlled Rosneft to decide which companies it wanted and did not want to work with.