Supply chain of the Shtokman field development project

Abstract

Supply chains are always fairly complex, and each industry’s chain has its own quirks and characteristics. The strategic nature of the product makes the oil and gas supply chain distinct from other industries. The given work sets a task to investigate the supply chain in oil and gas on the example of the Shtokman gas and condensate field development project. It is quite a challenging mission if to take into consideration the size of the project and its unique character. The given research is conducted to develop and extend the supply chain theory in oil and gas industry. The research objectives lead to use the theory-oriented type of research with stress on theory testing. Under these circumstances, the single-case study method and semistructured interviews as a primary source of data are chosen. To build the entire supply chain of the Shtokman project there is a need to describe it first. The history of the field exploration, selection of partners, engineering concept of the project are reflected in the empirical part. Additionally, the project’s description includes the transportation system and marketing strategy of natural gas and LNG distribution. Moreover, the environmental and political aspects of the project which are essential for oil and gas field development find its reflection in the practical part of the work. The analysis of the project with regard to the received from interviews data and other reliable sources of information helps to build the supply chain in the Shtokman project and put value on the supply chain integration and cooperation. The concept implements the theory in practice and develops some propositions that characterize the supply chain in oil and gas industry. Here is a main contribution to the theory development. The research confirms importance and relevance of the stated problem. The future replication studies are significant in order to enhance the generalizability of the findings.