ST. PETERSBURG, April 4. /TASS/. The first shift of team onboard the North Pole ice-resistant platform is scheduled for the current year. The platform, which departed on its maiden voyage last autumn, will continue working in the Arctic, press service of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI, St. Petersburg) said on Monday.

Earlier, head of the national hydro-meteorology service, Roshydromet, Igor Shumakov, said it would be more reasonable to have the North Pole stay in the Arctic for another year than to have it back to St. Petersburg.

"We plan to use helicopters to deliver the personnel. Two Mil Mi-8 AMT. This is a very difficult task, since the expedition is far from the mainland, almost at the limit of helicopter reach. For such a mission, well before the North Pole-41 expedition began, started works at our scientific base Cape Baranov to prepare a runway," the press service quoted AARI's Director Alexander Makarov as saying.

The main rotation and cargo delivery are scheduled for August. An expedition vessel will be used then. Prior to that, a partial rotation is due in April. Helicopters will take to the drifting platform ten people - six crew and four scientists.

By now, the press service continued, the North Pole-41 expedition has been in the Arctic for six months, drifting successfully in the Arctic Ocean's high latitudes. From the starting point the polar station has covered almost 800 km. Presently it is in the polar region - about 88 degrees north latitude. The expedition now is about 220 km away from the geographical pole.

"The drift continues in difficult conditions. The ice dynamics nearby is very active, and the explorers have reported cracks and ice movements on the base field. In such cases, equipment is moved on board the ship, and scientists continue their research from there. Whenever the situation stabilizes, the science camp is redeployed on ice. The chosen format of drifting stations with the support of the North Pole platform has proved to be efficient. For the explorers the vessel has become a safe and cozy home, a high-quality working platform with all the necessary equipment for professional scientific work," the institute's director said.

While onboard the North Pole platform, the scientists have collected extensive data on the natural environment and the changes taking place in the high-latitude Arctic, which they will analyze on the mainland. The expedition sends daily meteorological information to Roshydromet. This information is of great practical importance, since the North Pole-41 expedition is presently the only source of meteorological information regarding a huge part of the Arctic Ocean. AARI's experts also have been using this information in making ice forecasts to ensure safe navigation along the Northern Sea Route.

About North Pole platform

The North Pole is a unique research vessel, a research center, for year-round expeditions in the Arctic Ocean's high latitudes. The vessel is designed for geological, acoustic, geophysical and oceanographic studies. It does not require icebreakers, and can receive on board heavy helicopters of the Mil Mi-8 AMT (Mi-17) type.

The North Pole-41 expedition continues the program of complex drifting research in the high-latitude Arctic, founded by Soviet scientists. The world's first North Pole scientific polar Arctic station began drifting on May 21, 1937. In 2022, 85 years later, Russia resumed the drifting Arctic stations at a new technological level - the expedition is supported by the North Pole ice-resistant platform.