Russia Mulls Potentially Oil-Rich Arctic Seabed

A Russian research vessel has begun a 90-day voyage to the Arctic as Moscow continues to pursue claims to the potentially energy-rich seabed under the Arctic Ocean.

Led by a nuclear-powered icebreaker, the “Akademik Fyodorov” ship is carrying 85 researchers headed by Artur Chilingarov, the deputy speaker of the State Duma – the lower house of the Russian parliament – and head of the Russian Polar Explorers’ Association.

The mission plans to deploy mini-submarines that will submerge to a depth of more than four kilometers near the North Pole.

CNS