Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has submitted plans for the construction of a new North Pole research platform to the country’s government.
The proposed vessel will be self-propelled, ice resistant and capable of travelling autonomously in Arctic waters for up to three years, according to Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources, Sergey Donskoy.
Russia has historically set up scientific research stations on Arctic drift ice — but accelerating ice melt is making it challenging to find floes strong enough to support these expeditions. One ice station, North Pole 40, had to be evacuated in May 2013 when the ice floe it was based on began to break apart.
The new platform, which will be named North Pole, is intended to replace drift ice stations and allow Russia to maintain a research presence in the far North.
The Ministry and the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring have prepared an initial design of the platform with a durable hull, enough fuel for two to three years and a service life of about 25 years.
The preliminary investment cost of the North Pole is €98 million and construction will begin in 2019, according to Donskoy.