Nonetheless, once completed in 2007, the company led by Shell - Sakhalin Energy - stands to earn hundreds of billion of dollars in revenue from its US$10 billion investment.
Work on the platforms has already begun and US ecologists Pacific Environment have argued that the construction has upset fish and whale breeding and could "spell extinction for the West Pacific grey whale."
Furthermore, campaign group Sakhalin Ecological Watch has stated its fear that the pipeline will not withstand the serious earthquakes that regularly hit the island.
The company argues that - while its sensors on the pipeline can only measure the loss of 1% of the pipeline's total output - its pipeline was designed to withstand most tremors and has other sensors that would detect the changes caused in and around the pipeline by such a leak.
Sakhalin Energy is not the only company in the region. Exxon is already drilling offshore, and BP is exploring the coastline for reserves. Foreign investment in the island is expected to eventually exceed $30bn.
