OREANDA-NEWS. On April 24, 2009 the 6th meeting of the Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel has finished, reported the press-centre of Sakhalin Energy.

Parties have noted that cooperation with Sakhalin Energy is working well and the company is fully committed to the ongoing process. At the meeting a number of issues were discussed, including those connected with the 4D seismic survey planned by Sakhalin Energy for 2009.

At the meeting Sakhalin Energy reiterated that it believes that it is safe to carry out the seismic acquisition using the monitoring and mitigation plans as agreed with the Panel over last two years. However, following the recommendation of the panel not to carry out the survey in 2009, the company has taken the decision to postpone the survey until 2010.

In the report of the WGWAP-4 meeting, the panel stated: “The Panel welcomed the report of the 4D Seismic Task Force, noting that not only had a considerable amount of work been undertaken but that this probably represented the most thorough work with respect to seismic surveys and cetaceans, in advance of the seismic field operations, yet undertaken anywhere.”
WGWAP is an independent panel of international scientists. The panel was set in 2005 by IUCN at the initiative of Sakhalin Energy.