"Akademik Fedorov" went to explore the Arctic shelf

"This is an important task of state. This is a political and geopolitical problem … What do you do, it is important for Russia, for its future ", – said Russian special envoy for international cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic Arthur Chilingarov, speaking before members of the crew. According to him, this is a very important mission, which involved Russia's best specialists in the course of which will be used the latest technology. In turn, the head of the Federal Subsoil Agency, Anatoly Ledovskikh said that the expedition is ready to perform its tasks. "To consolidate the law at the level of the external border of the continental shelf of Russia, needed scientific evidence" – he said, noting that this is the goal of the expedition. In turn, the ship's captain Igor Stetsun said that "the ship came from Finland (from the port of Turku) on 23 June, there he will return September 17 to remove the hardware", and then sail to St. Petersburg, where in October, followed in Antarctica. It is expected that the July 8 "Akademik Fedorov" will meet with the atomic icebreaker "Russia", which will be released from Murmansk towards the ship on July 6, after the complete testing of the seismic equipment. "This year's atmosphere, ice conditions more difficult than last year, but we have pretty good security … I think we serious ice on the shoulder" – said the captain. Meanwhile, members of the expedition noted that this year, a situation which is now observed in the north, is more common in winter processes, and not for the summer. Scientific expedition leader, honored geologist of Russia Ivan Glumov said that before the crew has an important task, which is impossible to fulfill. In particular, they are willing to do everything in order to complete work on the continental shelf next year. In total, the expedition will include about 200 people, of which 74 – is the crew of "Akademik Fedorov", and 76 – members of a scientific expedition. At the atomic icebreaker "Russia" will be 96 crew members. Expedition to study the shelf is a continuation of this expedition the summer of 2010, when the "Akademik Fedorov", accompanied by nuclear-powered icebreaker "Yamal" from July to October, spent the hydrographic survey of the bottom relief of the Arctic Ocean. Specifically for this research, "Fedorov" was installed modern multibeam sonar. In 2010 the main activity of scientists on board, "Fedorov" was an accurate measurement of depth, but this year the main type of research will be seismic, which is designed to determine the thickness of sediment. Their thickness is one of the criteria for determining the limits of the continental shelf. The representative of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Atomflot" before community silt RIA Novosti that during the second expedition, "Fedorov" will accompany the atomic icebreaker "Russia". According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, coastal states have the sovereign right to explore and develop natural resources on the continental shelf, which is an extension of its territory. Earlier, Russia submitted to the UN Commission on the Law of its application to the shelf, but it was rejected due to lack of information. If Russia proves that the arctic underwater Lomonosov and Mendeleyev ridges, which extend to Greenland, is a geological extension of its continental shelf, he could be eligible for an additional 1.2 million square kilometers in the Arctic and to develop huge oil and gas fields in the triangle of Chukotka – Murmansk – North Pole. As expected, the refined Russia's claim to Arctic shelf will be ready by December 2013 and tentatively in early 2014 will be submitted to the UN.