ARKHANGELSK, September 4. /TASS/. The Mikhail Somov scientific expedition vessel departed from Arkhangelsk on an expedition along the Northern Sea Route to Chukotka, a TASS correspondent reported. The vessel will deliver cargo to hard-to-reach polar stations. The route lies across six Arctic seas: the White, Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas. The Wrangel Island will be the expedition's final destination.

"The vessel will deliver fuel, food, aerology materials, building materials and other cargo to hard-to-reach stations of the Northern, Yakut and Chukchi branches [of the national hydrometeorological service], as well as a shift of polar explorers," the Northern Branch's press service told TASS.

At the polar stations, specialists will service meteorological equipment, communications and energy facilities, and software. Ocean studies specialists will inspect marine stations and will conduct leveling works.

New equipment will be delivered to a number of stations. For example, the Ushakov station will have a new modular diesel building and an ice observation tower. The Mikhail Somov will deliver new diesel generator sets to hard-to-reach stations in Chukotka: Aion, Valkariy, Rau Chua, Ambarchik and Wrangel.

The vessel will deliver volunteers of the Clean Arctic project to Cape Chelyuskin. They will clean up the territory from waste left since Soviet times: scrap metal, barrels from lubricants, and other waste. Additionally, they will renovate a building of that polar station, where technical staff and the project's participants will be accommodated in the future. Volunteer expeditions to Cape Chelyuskin are expected to become regular.

During the voyage, a film crew will work on the ship. They will make a documentary about the Mikhail Somov. The film is timed to coincide with the ship's 50th anniversary, due next year. The Arctic expedition will continue for two months. The Mikhail Somov is to return to Arkhangelsk in early November.