Bulgaria's government has authorized the research ship “Maria S. Merian” under German flag to carry out research in the region of the Black Sea aiming to find unconventional source of natural gas at the end of 2013.

The research is planned to take place in the Northwestern Black Sea territorial waters which is “an exceptional economic zone for Bulgaria” in the period from December 6, 2013 to January 17, 2014, announced from the government’s press office.

The research is part of the collaborative project for natural gas production, titled SUGAR. Bulgarian nationals are included in the international research team.

SUGAR (Submarine Gas Hydrate Reservoirs) is a collaborative project which was launched for the first time in Germany in 2008 pursuing the aim of extracting natural gas from the deep-sea methane hydrates (know also as “gas hydrates”) found in the low levels of the World Ocean.

Gas hydrates are crystalline water-based solids, consisting of large amounts of methane and physically resembling ice. Gas hydrates contain highly compressed natural gas that may constitute a significant source of energy. There are considerable deposits of methane hydrates in the Black Sea but still the technology for commercial production of gas from hydrates is not well developed.

In an official statement the press center of the Bulgarian government announced that the research is carried out for peaceful purposes only, pursuing the main aim of expanding the knowledge on the sea environment in the region.

Only safe methods will be used in the research, the press release said.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!