GOMEL, 16 October (BelTA) – Specialists of the Belarusian oil company Belorusneft have started seismic exploration of the Band-e-Karkheh field in southern Iran, the Belorusneft press service told BelTA. The seismic exploration is carried out using Belarusian equipment. It started in line with the contract signed by Belorusneft and the private Iranian oil company Petropars Institute (PPI) in April 2009. The territory to be surveyed is as large as 874 square kilometers. Around 20 employees of Belorusneft’s field seismic exploration division will participate in the project on the Belarusian side. Belarusian specialists have not done such work in Iranian oil fields before. Petropars Institute is the fourth partner of the Belarusian oil industry in Iran. Since 2007 the Belarusian-Iranian joint venture Belpars Petroleum Company Limited has been working in Iran. It performs geological prospecting of the Jofeyr oil field. Pilot operation of the oil field is supposed to start this year. The minimum output of the explored strata is estimated at 25,000 barrels daily. Belorusneft has also signed an agreement on cooperation in service, scientific and geophysical support for drilling oil wells in Iran with the company Sepanta International and a memorandum of understanding with Petroiran Development Company (PEDCO). The manufacturing corporation Belorusneft was set up in 1966. It is part of the Belarusian petrochemical concern Belneftekhim. The company performs oil exploration, well drilling, extraction of oil and associated gas.

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