The scientific expedition ship “Mikhail Somov” has left Arkhangelsk to embark on an expedition along the Northern Sea Route to Chukotka, a TASS correspondent reports. “Somov” will deliver cargo to hard-to-reach polar stations. The expedition route will pass through six Arctic seas: the White, Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukotka seas. The final point will be Wrangel Island.
“The ship will deliver fuel, food, expendable aerospace materials, construction materials and other cargo, as well as a relay of polar explorers, to the hard-to-reach stations of the Northern, Yakutsk and Chukotka UGMS,” – the press service of the Northern Administration of Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (UGMS North) informed TASS.
At the polar stations, specialists from the Northern UGMS will carry out maintenance of meteorological, communications and energy equipment, as well as software. Oceanologists will carry out inspections of marine stations and levelling work.
New equipment will be delivered to several stations. In particular, a new modular diesel building and a tower for ice observations will appear on the MG-2 named after GA Ushakov. Somov will deliver new diesel generator sets to the hard-to-reach Chukotka stations: Ayon, Valkarkay, Rauchua, Ambarchik and Wrangel.
The Somov will take volunteers of the Clean Arctic project to Cape Chelyuskin. The participants will clear the site of waste left over from the Soviet era: scrap metal, oil barrels and other debris. In addition, one of the buildings of the polar station will be renovated, where in the future it is planned to accommodate technical personnel and project participants. Volunteer expeditions to Cape Chelyuskin are expected to become regular.
During the voyage, a film crew will be working on the ship, which is making a documentary about the history and current affairs of the Mikhail Somov. The film is timed to coincide with the ship’s 50th anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2025. The Arctic expedition will last two months. Somov is scheduled to return to Arkhangelsk in early November.
