Russia ready to spend 156 million rubles for the estimate of resources on the current boundary of the shelf in the Arctic

The Department for the use of subsurface resources on the continental shelf and the oceans announced a tender with a price of 156 million rubles for the assessment of the petroleum potential of the Russian continental shelf of more than 200 miles as part of the expansion of the boundaries of the Russian Arctic shelf, the appropriate application is available on the portal of public procurement.

Under the terms of reference, work needs to be done to clarify the outer boundary and the area of the extended continental shelf in the Russian Arctic Ocean and update the sections representing Russia in the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Applications for participation in the tender will be accepted until June 17, results of the contest will be revealed on June, 20. Work must be done by the end of 2015.

The Russian government approved the state program of development of the Arctic Zone until 2020

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on the approval of the state program “Socio-economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020.”

The state program is implemented from 2015 to 2020. It is analytical in nature and includes activities of specialized government programs of the Russian Federation, implemented in the Arctic zone.

The task of the Russian Ministry of Regional Development as an executive manager of the state program is to coordinate the activities of public authorities in the implementation of state policy in the Arctic region of Russia.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the Security Council proposed to create a single center of accountability for the implementation of Arctic policy with a status similar to the state commission for the development of the Far East. The President said that there was the need for better governance and decision-making on the issue of development of the Arctic.

Vladimir Putin: Russia must actively defend its rights for the Arctic shelf

Russian President Vladimir Putin held an expanded meeting of the Security Council “On the implementation of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic in the interests of national security.”
As “ITAR-TASS” reports, at the meeting the Russian President expressed hope that the Russian experts would find strong reasons showing an indisputable right of Russia for the site of 52 thousand square km, the bottom of which is a continuation of Russia’s continental shelf. “Our experts must participate actively in bilateral and multilateral consultations with the governments of the Arctic states, defend every part of the continental shelf of the Russian Arctic marine areas,” – said the head of state.
According to Vladimir Putin, Russia should take into account the rapidly changing situation in the world that is full of new risks, including in the Arctic. Russian oil and gas production facilities, loading terminals, pipelines in the Arctic must be protected from terrorists and other potential threats, the President stressed.

Moscow to submit Arctic shelf claim to UN in fall – Russian official

The Russian Natural Resources Ministry is planning to submit a claim to the UN this autumn to extend the country’s Arctic shelf, Ecology Minister Sergei Donskoi said Friday.

“Our experts have been gathering evidence for the past decade. The fact that the Sea of Okhotsk was recognized as a Russian inland sea in March was a very significant breakthrough,” the minister said.

“The success of the Sea of Okhotsk bid is an important precedent that will factor in the decision on Russia’s next claim to extend its continental Arctic shelf,” he explained.

Moscow filed its claim to a part of the Artic continental shelf including the Lomonosov and Mendeleev Ridges in 2011, but the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf said that it needed further scientific backing. Scientists have to prove that the underwater ridges are extensions of the Eurasian continent, thus linked to Russia’s territory.

Last month, the UN recognized a large part of the Sea of Okhotsk off Russia’s Pacific coast as part of the country’s continental shelf, granting the country exclusive rights to an area of 52,000 square kilometers that also contains reserves of valuable natural resources.

Request for recognition of the enclave in the Arctic Russian territory to be prepared by the end of year

The Ministry of Natural Resources plans to prepare by the end of 2014 a request for recognition of the Russian enclave area of ​​1.2 million sq km in the Arctic shelf, said at today’s press conference Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Minister Denis Khramov.

According to him, the work in this area will be carried out by the same working group that worked on the recognition of the enclave in the Okhotsk Sea /the enclave was recognized to be a part of the Russian continental shelf by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on March, 15/.

There are much more prospects for finding large hydrocarbon reserves in the Arctic than in the Okhotsk Sea.

Viktor Chirkov promised growth of the Russian Navy grouping in the Arctic

The Navy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic will increase the grouping of the forces of nuclear and non-nuclear deterrence, said Friday Russian Navy Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov.

The commander stressed that the Arctic is a sphere of extremely important political, economic and defense interests of Russia.

Currently, the Arctic is objectively essential for sustainable development of the Russian Federation. The real contribution to the economy of the Russian North will be largely determined by the scale and pace of development of the unique Arctic transport system.

Russia and South Korea Discussed Cooperation in the Arctic for the First Time

Opportunities and ways to further cooperation between Russia and the Republic of Korea in the Arctic were discussed for the first time at the consultations held between the officials from the foreign ministries of the two countries, said on Sunday in an interview with Itar-Tass special envoy for Arctic cooperation of the Foreign Ministry Anton Vasilyev.

“We discussed the most interesting areas of cooperation in the Arctic, they will be our relations with the Republic of Korea in the field of all possibilities of the Northern Sea Route. Their use is one of the four fundamental national interests of Russia in the Arctic. This is stated in the “Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic up to 2020 and further”- said the envoy.

There were touched upon such areas of mutual interest as the creation of ice-class vessels, as well as the continuation and possible expansion of cooperation in the field of scientific research in the Arctic. Specific details will be discussed by experts from the relevant ministries and agencies.