The Academician Fedorov to leave on 100-day Arctic expedition

The flagship of the Russian polar fleet The Academician Fedorov is due to set out today from Arkhangelsk to the Arctic on a 100-day research expedition.

The vessel will be assisted by the nuclear-powered icebreaker Yamal and will explore the geological structure of the Laptev and East-Siberian Seas, as well as other water areas, all the way to the geographical North Pole.

Research in the Arctic has been launched to gather evidence (and subsequently hand it over to the relevant UN commission) that the continental Arctic shelf, specifically the Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges, is part of Russia. Scientists believe the shelf harbours huge mineral resources.