Russia launched the future Severnyy Polyus (North Pole), also known as Project 00903; a floating installation and a self-propelled vessel. The ship was ordered by Russia’s Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, under a programme on social and economic development of the Arctic.
Steel cutting for the project started in late 2018. The hull of the ship can reduce ice pressure by deflecting it downwards, while the ship also has its own propulsion and is intended to self-deploy through heavy ice, without an icebreaker escort.
The $100 million ship will deploy for up to two years at a time as a floating research platform, resupplied with goods and personnel by helicopter and by icebreaker.
Including 15 laboratory spaces and a full range of sensors for geological, acoustic, geophysical and oceanographic research, the vessel will provide a long-term platform for ocean monitoring and experimentation.
The vessel’s completion and commissioning is planned for 2022.
