Offshore Resources Exploitation under Conditions of Uncertainty: Focus on Technologies, Ecology and Assessment

Dear Colleagues,

According to the forecasts by different agencies and companies in early 2022, the demand for hydrocarbons will persist for decades, despite their decreasing share in the global energy balance. However, considering the observed trend of deterioration in the structure of hydrocarbon reserves and the dynamics of oil and gas production in traditional development areas, further development of marine resources is certainly relevant. Many offshore oil and gas projects have been successfully implemented since the beginning of the 20th century, but there is currently a trend towards large deep sea and arctic projects.

Moreover, numerous fields of solid minerals have been found in oceanic shelves and deep water areas, some of which are already being developed, while other projects may become promising in the future.

However, the exploitation of mineral resources is characterized by the presence of specific technical and technological problems and risks associated with the development of offshore facilities, geological features of deposits, logistics operations, transportation of mineral resources, the need for specific equipment, as well as stringent requirements for environmental protection, which leads to high capital intensity, low economic efficiency of offshore projects, and the need for government support.

Many scientists question the need for the further development of offshore fields, especially in the Arctic, due to the high degree of uncertainty, potential environmental threats, and ethical aspects involved in these projects. Large-scale development of marine resources can lead to an imbalance in the marine ecosystem, a reduction in biodiversity, toxic effects, an unfavorable regime for the development of flora and fauna, and a significant negative impact on the development of the global fishing industry.

This Special Issue aims to collect original research and review articles that reflect the technical and technological issues of the development of offshore mineral fields under conditions of uncertainty. We welcome papers exploring new approaches to substantiating technological, qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, and assessment of environmental consequences and damages from the development of such fields.

Papers that investigate the technological and other challenges of mineral resource exploitation and its negative impact on the marine ecosystem and the fishing industry, as well as work reflecting new technological solutions to reduce this negative impact, are also invited for publication.

Prof. Dr. Alexey Cherepovitsyn
Dr. Natalia Romasheva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• offshore mineral resources
• uncertainty
• economic assessment
• technological progress
• ecosystem
• biodiversity
• fishing industry
• risks
• arctic
• project management
• state