TASS, August 26. The Northern Fleet’s ecology platoon collected more than 300 tonnes of scrap metal on the Kotelny Island in the Arctic. The island is a part of the New Siberian Islands Archipelago in the Laptev Sea, the Fleet’s press service said.

"The Northern Fleet’s ecology platoon completed the task to clean from scrap metal the Kotelny Island in the Arctic," the press service said. "The ecologists have collected and pressed more than 300 tonnes of steel barrels and other scrap metal."

The pressed metal is put into marine containers, which a few weeks later will be sent over to the mainland, where the metal will be processed, the press service added.

The Northern Fleet’s platoon began cleaning up the Kotelny Island in mid-June. Every day, it collected and pressed about 5 tonnes of scrap metal. In June, the ecologists found a German 200-liter metal barrel, dated 1944. "Soon, it will be exhibited at the Northern Fleet’s Museum," the Fleet said.

During previous clean-up missions on the Arctic island, the ecologists found American metal barrels. A lid from one of them is displayed at the Northern Fleet’s Museum in the Safonovo settlement.

The Northern Fleet’s ecology platoon began working on the Kotelny Island in 2015. The scrap metal is mostly 200-liter barrels, used to transport fuel. The ecologists use hydraulic equipment to press the barrels, so that they take much less space in containers.