Shell will be a partner of Gazprom Neft in the exploration of the Arctic shelf.

      The two companies are expected to sign a deal during the Russian president's visit to the Netherlands.

      The possibility of extracting hydrocarbons from under the Arctic Ocean has been actively debated both in Russia and abroad.

      The plans have been lambasted by Russian environmental groups, which say humankind does not yet have the technologies to do it in a clean and feasible way while potential fallout can destroy one of the Earth's pristine areas.

      Leonid Fedun, from Lukoil, has been against investing into exploration works in the Arctic while its CEO, Vagit Alekperov, believes it's worthwhile to get a picture of what the Arctic harbours underneath its waters.