Russian gas giant Gazprom said on Monday market conditions for liquefied natural gas prompted a decision to delay the development of the Shtokman gas field for several years. The area lies in the Barents sea; a joint venture between Gazprom, Norway's Statoil and France's Total was formed in 2008 to develop Shtokman, which holds an estimated 3.8 trillion cubic meters of gas, with deliveries were scheduled to start by 2013. A final investment decision will be taken in late 2011.