Ice-resistant platform “North Pole” went on its first voyage

The Russian ice-resistant platform (LSP) “North Pole” went on its first voyage on September 2. We tell you why the ship is unique and what it is for

What’s going on

• The ice-resistant platform “North Pole” is a research vessel, where it is possible to carry out research all year round in the high latitudes of the Arctic Ocean.
• The vessel has a speed of over 10 knots (18,5 km/h) and can accommodate up to 14 crew members and 34 scientific personnel.
• On September 2, the ship set out on its maiden voyage. By mid-September, the LSP will reach Murmansk, where research equipment will be loaded onto the North Pole, and scientists will join the crew. Then the ship will reach the New Siberian Islands, freeze in the ice and drift in the ocean for two years.
• The station will start operating in October 2022.
• Research will be carried out both on board and overboard. To do this, the platform itself was equipped with 15 scientific laboratories, and a scientific camp was set up around the “North Pole”.
• The platform will conduct research in various areas from geology and acoustics to geophysics and oceanography, necessary to ensure the safety of navigation on the Northern Sea Route.

What does it mean

The Northern Sea Route (NSR) passes through the seas of the Arctic Ocean – the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi. This is the shortest sea route between the European part of our country and the Asian one. It can be covered in 7–15 days at a speed of 5–13 knots (9–24 km/h). An alternative to the NSR is the Panama and Suez Canals. If the distance from Murmansk to Yokohama across the seas of the Arctic Ocean is 10,5 thousand km, then the same route through the European channels is twice as long and amounts to 23,7 thousand km.

It is important to study the Arctic region not only as the shortest route from Europe to Asia, but also as a territory that heats up faster than other places on the planet. According to HSE experts, in the second half of the XNUMXst century, Arctic ice may become one-year-old, and the Arctic Ocean will be completely cleared of glaciers by the end of the summer season. This means that the period when the Arctic ice is not dangerous for ships will increase, as well as the zone with light and medium ice conditions will expand.