Rosneft in cooperation with the Arctic Science Center and the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) conducted the ‘Kara-leto-2016 expedition’ in an effort to test how to prevent a drifting iceberg from running into an oil platform.
Experts successfully completed the iceberg towing weight of more than 1 million tons, which is not only the first experience in the Russian Arctic, but also an important event in the world.
During the expedition, 18 experiments took place on how to tug icebergs. With help from icebreaker «Kapitan Dranitsyn» the researchers managed to pull the icebergs in both 90 and 180 degrees turns away. They also managed to pull away two icebergs in one and the same operation.
Rosneft says that the experience gained will allow in the future to protect the marine infrastructure of interaction with icebergs in the management of industrial activities on the Arctic shelf.
In the expedition also took part experts, geologists who carried out the work on the description of the reference geological sections in order to reduce geological risks in the organization of future economic activity on the Arctic shelf.
During the “Kara-summer 2016” Prevention of seven previously installed automatic weather stations were completed and six broadband seismic stations, as well as set a new weather station – on the coast of the Gulf of Khatanga. It was there as part of a summer expedition was launched construction of the first scientific and design base, “Rosneft”, which a year-round monitoring of the climatic conditions will be carried out, and in winter will be held ledoissledovatelskie work in the south-western part of the Laptev Sea.
Particular attention in the course of the expedition was given to the study of the polar bear and walrus populations, as well as the monitoring of marine mammals and birds. All studies performed with the increasing demands of industrial and environmental safety.
