ST. PETERSBURG, April 19. /TASS/. The North Pole self-propelled platform will depart for the first expedition from Murmansk. The platform will sail to the destination, where around it would be organized a scientific camp, Director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI, St. Petersburg) Alexander Makarov told TASS on Monday.
On April 13, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at a meeting on the Arctic’s development ordered to begin using the North Pole platform in due time - in autumn.
"In September, from Murmansk, the platform will depart for its first Arctic expedition," the institute’s director said. "The North Pole will sail to the destination to be later on frozen into ice. Around the vessel would be a mobile scientific camp, which in case of an unstable ice condition, could be wrapped up quickly, and the studies would continue onboard."
The platform is being built at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg. The Ministry of Natural Resources told TASS the platform’s sailing trials are scheduled for May. "In July, the national ensign will be flown on the vessel; it will be in St. Petersburg, and then the vessel will head for Murmansk," the ministry’s press service said.
According to AARI’s director, the platform would be capable of drifting autonomously for up to two years to return to port on its own. The first year of studies will give to scientists new data on the Arctic climate processes, on degradation of the ice layer and on ice drifts. "Our specialists will use that data immediately to improve forecasts along the Northern Sea Route, thus making the navigation safe," he said.
Earlier, the Admiralty Shipyards’ press service reported successful mooring tests of diesel generators. The press service also said about continuing mooring tests of the main diesel and of the steering complex. "Specialists have been installing equipment in the galley unit. They have completed the installation of on-board closures, control panels on the bridge. The company's employees continue to install electrical panels," the press service said.
About the North Pole platform
The North Pole’s displacement is more than 10,000 tonnes; the maximum term of autonomous work in terms of food supplies is one year, in terms of fuel - two years. The platform’s onboard scientific complex features 15 laboratories. The vessel has a field camp, which can be organized on ice. The platform’s team of researchers is 34 people.
The national hydrometeorology service, Roshydromet, and the Admiralty Shipyards inked an agreement on the North Pole platform in spring, 2018. On April 10, 2019, the platform was laid. Alexander Buzakov, Director General of the Admiralty Shipyards said earlier the platform’s commissioning act might be signed on July 1, 2022.
The platform is 83 meters long, its breadth is about 22 meters, and it is more than 11 meters high. The vessel’s hull can resist the compression of long-term ice, which has been confirmed in model experiments in the ice pool. Expedition members - researchers and crew - will have comfortable and safe working and living conditions onboard. In addition, one of the decks will have a runway for Mil Mi-8 and Mi-38 helicopters.