MOSCOW, June 18. /TASS/. Russia’s ministry of natural resources expects Lukoil, a Russian oil major, to discover more large fields Khatanga Bay of the Laptev Sea in the east Arctic area, Minister Sergei Donskoi wrote on his Facebook account on Sunday.

Russian oil major Rosneft said earlier in the day it had discovered a new hydrocarbon deposit while drilling an exploration well from the shore of the Khara-Tumus Peninsula on the shelf of Khatanga Bay of the Laptev Sea.

"Now we expect more discoveries from the colleagues. They promise to cheer up the sector soon," Donskoi wrote.

The ministry’s press service said the minister had meant Lukoil.

The minister congratulated Rosneft on the discovery and said it might prove to be the biggest field on the entire shelf. "Already now we can speak about a considerable influx of oil and hence, about a unique discovery of, probably, the largest field on the shelf. Notably, the horizontal directional drilling technique was used, which means that drilling was done from the shore," Donskoi wrote. "We were sure this year’s biggest discoveries are to be expected in Khatanga! Here is the proof."

Two Russian oil majors, Rosneft and Lukoil, operate in Khatanga, with Lukoil developing the Eastern Taimyr sector located at the Khatanga estuary area. Its onshore resources are estimated at 4.5 million tonnes of oil, 9.3 billion cubic meters of gas and 0.5 million tonnes of condensate.