Russia to Set Up Naval Infrastructure in Arctic – Patrushev

[zorgon]

Russia to Set Up Naval Infrastructure in Arctic – Patrushev



KRASNOYARSK, August 6 (RIA Novosti)

Russia will create several infrastructure hubs along the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic to be used as temporary stations for Russian warships and border guard vessels, Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev said on Monday.

The authorities have drafted a list of "key double-purpose sites in remote areas of the Arctic seas along the Northern Sea Route" to enable "temporary stationing of Russian Navy warships and vessels operated by the Federal Security Service's Border Guard Department," Patrushev said during a meeting with officials in Siberia.

The Northern Sea Route stretches along Russia's Arctic coast from Murmansk on the Barents Sea to the Bering Strait in the Far East.

The plans are in line with Russia's Arctic doctrine, approved in 2008, which outlines state policies aimed at maintaining Russia's role as a "major Arctic nation" and strengthening security and stability in the region. Russia is planning to deploy a combined-arms force by 2020 to guard its political and economic interests in the Arctic.

Patrushev noted on Monday that work on issues related to the creation of the Arctic stations was being delayed.

"It was proposed to create an exploratory group, carry out working trips along the Northern Sea Route, work out a relevant legal basis – but much of this has still not been done," he said.

The Arctic, believed to have vast untapped natural resources, has increasingly been at the center of disputes between the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark in recent years as rising temperatures lead to a reduction in sea ice, providing access to lucrative offshore oil and gas deposits.

In April, the Russian government unveiled plans to spend around 1.3 trillion rubles ($44 billion) on economic and social projects in the Arctic before 2020. According to the Russian Ministry for Regional Development, the projects will include the creation of new transportation corridors and the development of new hydrocarbon deposits and social infrastructure in the region.

The private sector is expected to contribute some 80 billion rubles ($2.7 billion) to the projects.

Patrushev said on Monday a set of tax regulation proposals designed to boost business activities in Russia's Arctic zone had been handed over to the government. Some amendments have already been introduced to Russian laws regulating commercial navigation along the Northern Sea Route, he added.

Russia to Set Up Naval Infrastructure in Arctic – Patrushev

[zorgon]

'Ice Wars' heating up the Arctic
By Kaj Larsen, CNN
July 15, 2011

(CNN) -- On a small, floating piece of ice in the Beaufort Sea, several hundred miles north of Alaska, a group of scientists are documenting what some dub an "Arctic meltdown."

According to climate scientists, the warming of the region is shrinking the polar ice cap at an alarming rate, reducing the permafrost layer and wreaking havoc on polar bears, arctic foxes and other indigenous wildlife in the region.

What is bad for the animals, though, has been good for commerce.

The recession of the sea ice and the reduction in permafrost -- combined with advances in technology -- have allowed access to oil, mineral and natural gas deposits that were previously trapped in the ice.

The abundance of these valuable resources and the opportunity to exploit them has created a gold rush-like scramble in the high north, with fierce competition to determine which countries have the right to access the riches of the Arctic.

This competition has brought in its wake a host of naval and military activities that the Arctic hasn't seen since the end of the Cold War.

Now, one of the coldest places on Earth is heating up as nuclear submarines, Aegis-class frigates, strategic bombers and a new generation of icebreakers are resuming operations there.

Just how much oil and natural gas is under the Arctic ice?

The Arctic is home to approximately 90 billion barrels of undiscovered but recoverable oil, according to a 2008 study by the U.S. Geological Survey. And preliminary estimates are that one-third of the world's natural gas may be harbored in the Arctic ice.

But that's not all that's up for grabs. The Arctic also contains rich mineral deposits. Canada, which was not historically a diamond-producing nation, is now the third-largest diamond producer in the world.

If the global warming trend continues as many scientists project it to, it is likely that more and more resources will be discovered as the ice melts further.

'Ice Wars' heating up the Arctic

[zorgon]

Commentary: China pivot -- or pirouette?
by Arnaud De Borchgrave
Washington (UPI) Feb 6, 2012

Canada's Bombardier Aircraft manufacturer now sees China as a bigger market for private aviation than all of Europe.

China also informed Canada last week that it wanted a seat at the arctic table, which means it seeks the same status as the eight countries whose territory lies within the Arctic Circle. It will be Canada's turn to chair the group in 2013.

As a warning to China about its South China Sea ambitions, the United States is transferring 200 U.S. Marines to Darwin, on the northern coast of Australia, to be reinforced by 2,300 more by 2014, drawn from the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa to form a Marine Expeditionary Unit.

"I am making clear," Obama said on a visit to Australia last November, "that the United States is stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-Pacific region."

Commentary: China pivot -- or pirouette?

[zorgon]

Putin defends Russia's Arctic rights, calls for dialogue
15/03/2010

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin justified on Monday Russia's claims for the Arctic continental shelf and urged other nations to resolve all controversial issues through dialogue.

The Arctic territories, believed to hold vast untapped oil and gas reserves, have been at the center of disputes between the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark as rising temperatures lead to a reduction in sea ice and make hydrocarbon deposits under the Arctic Ocean increasingly accessible. This has made the extent of the continental shelf a matter of national interest.

"There has been much ado around the Arctic region. You know how the [Russian] flag was erected [on the seabed] and how negatively our neighbors reacted to this. Nobody has ever stopped them from erecting their own flags. Let them do it. But we work under the rules established by the United Nations and in line with international maritime laws," Putin told members of the Russian Geographic Society.

Russia along with other Arctic Council nations will take part in an international conference on the Arctic on April 22-23 in Moscow.

Putin expressed hope that the participants of the conference "will discuss the existing disputes in a calm and neighborly manner...will listen to each other rather than exchange threats on non-existing issues."

Under international law, each of the five Arctic Circle countries has a 322-kilometer (200-mile) exclusive economic zone in the Arctic Ocean.

However, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, if a country can show its continental shelf extends beyond the 200-mile limit, it can claim rights to more of the ocean floor.

Russia has undertaken two Arctic expeditions - to the Mendeleyev underwater chain in 2005 and to the Lomonosov Ridge in the summer of 2007 - to support its territorial claims in the region.

Russia first claimed the territory in 2001, but the United Nations demanded more evidence.

Russia has said it will invest some 1.5 billion rubles ($49.7 million) in defining the extent of its continental shelf in the Arctic in 2010 in order to prove its right to more of the Arctic floor.

MOSCOW, March 15 (RIA Novosti)

[zorgon]

Russia to spend $50 million to prove its right to extra Arctic floor
05/02/2010

Russia will invest some 1.5 billion rubles ($49.7 million) in defining the extent of its continental shelf in the Arctic in 2010, in order to prove its right to more of the Arctic floor, the country's Natural Resources Ministry has said.

"These funds will be spent on additional hydrographic and geophysical research in the Arctic Ocean," the ministry said in a statement.

Arctic territories, believed to hold vast untapped oil and gas reserves, have been at the center of disputes between the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark as rising temperatures lead to a reduction in sea ice and make hydrocarbon deposits under the Arctic Ocean increasingly accessible. This has made the extent of the continental shelf a matter of national interest.

Under international law, each of the five Arctic Circle countries has a 322-kilometer (200-mile) exclusive economic zone in the Arctic Ocean.

However, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, if a country can show its continental shelf extends beyond the 200-mile limit, it can claim rights to more of the ocean floor.

Russia has undertaken two Arctic expeditions - to the Mendeleyev underwater chain in 2005 and to the Lomonosov ridge in the summer of 2007 - to support its territorial claims in the region.

The country first claimed the territory in 2001, but the United Nations demanded more evidence. Moscow was to submit its evidence to the UN by 2010.

President Dmitry Medvedev said at a Russian Security Council session in September 2008 that the extent of the Russian continental shelf in the Arctic should be defined as soon as possible.

MOSCOW, February 5 (RIA Novosti)

[zorgon]

Russia prepares for future combat in the Arctic
16:38 24/06/2008


Monchegorsk, Murmansk Region, North-West Russia "The snowy fields around Monchegorsk disguise the fact that it is one of the most polluted towns in Russia," says Simon Roberts. The church pictured in the foreground was built just a year ago and is surrounded by dachas (traditional Russian country homes), a retreat for the rich and poor alike. Since the demise of communism, the church has enjoyed a revival.

MOSCOW, June 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia must be ready to fight wars in the Arctic to protect its national interests in a region that contains large and untapped deposits of natural resources, a high-ranking military official said in an interview published Tuesday.

"After several countries contested Russia's rights for the resource-rich continental shelf in the Arctic, we have immediately started the revision of our combat training programs for military units that may be deployed in the Arctic in case of a potential conflict," Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov, who heads the Defense Ministry's combat training directorate, told the Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper.

Under the Law of the Sea, coastal states can declare an Exclusive Economic Zone stretching 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the shore, but this area can be extended if it is a part of the country's continental shelf or shallower waters. Some Arctic shelves extend for hundreds of miles, creating the possibility of overlapping territorial claims.

Last August, as part of a scientific expedition, two Russian mini-subs made a symbolic eight-hour dive beneath the North Pole to bolster the country's claim that the Arctic's Lomonosov Ridge lies in the country's economic zone. A titanium Russian flag was also planted on the seabed. Russia first claimed the territory in 2001, but the UN demanded more evidence.

The expedition irritated a number of Western countries, particularly the U.S. and Canada.

The general said wars "are won or lost long before they start" and combat training was crucial for the success of any future military operations.

"The Americans, for example, recently conducted the Northern Edge 12-day large-scale exercise in Alaska, involving about 5,000 personnel, 120 aircraft and several warships," Shamanov said, adding that Russia could not ignore such a show of military force near vital Arctic regions.

He said the Defense Ministry would drastically change its approach to the combat training of highly-professional military units in the Leningrad, Siberian and Far Eastern military districts, which could participate in potential conflicts in the Arctic.

He also said two expert groups in his directorate were closely studying combat training models based on computer-assisted combat simulations that have been adopted by some foreign militaries.

"We may propose to the defense minister setting up a company-level fully computerized training center at one of the former testing sites," the general said.

Russia's General Staff is planning to determine the new composition and size of the Armed Forces by the beginning of July.

Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry has already announced plans to expand the presence of the Russian Navy in the world's oceans, including the Arctic, and extend the operational range of submarines deployed in the northern latitudes.

Russia prepares for future combat in the Arctic

[zorgon]

Russia plants flag under N Pole

Russian explorers have planted their country's flag on the seabed 4,200m (14,000ft) below the North Pole to further Moscow's claims to the Arctic.

The rust-proof titanium metal flag was brought by explorers travelling in two mini-submarines, in what is believed to be the first expedition of its kind.

Both vessels have now rejoined the expedition's ships, completing their risky return journey to the surface.

Canada, which also claims territory in the Arctic, has criticised the mission.

"This isn't the 15th Century," Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay told the CTV channel.

"You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory'," he said.

Russia plants flag under N Pole - BBC news

Why not? That's what the US does on the Moon... or so they claim

[zorgon]

For Vladimir Putin, the Arctic is far more than a natural resource


The expedition to plant a Russian flag on the seabed at the North Pole, 2007 (Photo: Reuters)

It is fashionable to talk up the Arctic as some sort of treasure trove of oil and gas and as the gateway to a promising new ice-free sea route. Time, global warming, and new technology may well prove the optimists right. But for Russia, just like the Soviet Union before it, the region is equally important as a Cold War-style arena to demonstrate the country's new geopolitical ambitions.

That frontier spirit is embodied in one man: Artur Chilingarov. Bearded, cheerful, and a well-loved Hero of Russia, the 71-year-old professional polar explorer is the public face of the Kremlin's designs on the Arctic. He was the man who dove almost 14,000 feet in a mini submarine in 2007 in order to plant a titanium Russian flag beneath the North Pole. His message was unsubtle: the North Pole and almost half a million square miles around it belongs to Russia (already the world's largest country by territory) and we – not anybody else – are going to get it. As would you expect, his act of derring-do went down well with ordinary Russians and the Kremlin celebrated Mr Chilingarov as a national hero.

For Vladimir Putin, the Arctic is far more than a natural resource



Medvedev: Arctic resources are key to Russia's future

[zorgon]

Russia to build new naval bases in the Arctic
06 August, 2012


Arctic nuclear-powered icebreaker.(RIA Novosti / Nikolai Zaytsev)

Russia is going to build bases for the Navy and Border Guard Service along the northern sea route which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, says Security Council chief Nikolay Partushev.

The location of the bases, in some of the most remote areas of the Arctic Sea, has already been drawn up, Patrushev told the council's meeting in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, on Monday.

However, he says the work on getting them up and running is going slowly.

"It was suggested we set up a patrol group, organize sorties along the northern sea route and develop a respective legal base, however, a lot of that hasn't been done yet," Patrushev said, as cited by RIA-Novosti.

The five Arctic powers – Russia, Norway, the United States, Canada and Denmark – have been at odds over how to divide up the region, which is believed to hold huge oil and gas reserves. The dispute has been heating up as rising temperatures make sea ice melt, and provide access to deposits, while record high oil prices make offshore drilling in the Arctic more economic.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an economic zone belonging to a state is limited to 200 nautical miles from the coastline. However, that zone can be extended if a state proves that the continental shelf is a geological extension of the country's territory.

Since 2007, Russia has conducted several expeditions with the goal to prove that an underwater mountain range is part of its own landmass. Moscow has planned to submit its claim to redraw the map of the Arctic by 2013.

By 2020, Russia will deploy a combined-arms force – including military, border and coastal guard units – to protect its economic and political interests in the Arctic.

Earlier in July this year, after overseeing the start of construction of one of Russia's newest generation of submarines, President Vladimir Putin said: "The Navy is an instrument for defending our national economic interests, including in regions like the Arctic, which holds a rich concentration of bio-resources, as well as deposits of hydrocarbons and other natural resources."

Russia to build new naval bases in the Arctic

[zorgon]

Pricey ice: Russia, Norway sign megabuck Arctic agreement
05 May, 2012, 20:26


Reuters / NTB Scanpix

Statoil and Rosneft will spend about $60 bln to jointly explore and develop Russia's Arctic shelf. This will allow another foreign company access to Russia's oil and gas deposits, while domestic partners are still to be selected.

The deal between the Russian and Norwegian state-controlled companies provides for a joint venture to explore an area in the Barents Sea, as well as three sections in the Sea of Okhotsk. Combined projected resources at the four sections come to roughly 2 billion tonnes of oil and 1.8 trillion cubic meters of gas.

Under the deal, the Norwegian oil company will receive a 33.3% stake in the venture, with Rosneft getting the opportunity to acquire a stake in Statoil projects and assets in the North Sea, as well as in Norwegian sections of the Barents Sea.

It is agreed that Statoil will fully finance the geological exploration work. On top of that, the Norwegian party will reimburse historical expenses incurred by Rosneft, as well as 33.3% of expenses incurred by the Russian company during the course oflicense acquisition.

The cooperation terms for Statoil came as typical for all of Rosneft's foreign partners, with American ExxonMobil and Italian ENI getting the same conditions. Earlier in April, Rosneft got access to ExxonMobil projects in the US and Canada, the parties having agreed on their cooperation in Russia back in 2011. The agreement between Russia's oil company and ENI embraces areas in the Black and Barents Seas.

"This third straight large agreement with a foreign partner highlights Rosneft's strategy to accelerate Russia's offshore exploration and mitigate relevant risks via the careful choice of several strategic partners with high international standing," say Troika Dialog analysts.

Meanwhile, not a single private Russian company  has a similar agreement with Rosneft for operations in the continental shelf. In the first half of April Rosneft sent proposals on the joint development of 12 shelf sections to the main private players in Russia's oil industry, which includes Lukoil, TNK-BP, Surgutneftegas and Bashneft. So far, just the first two have confirmed their participation, Khudainatov said, adding that the competition will be tough.

Pricey ice: Russia, Norway sign megabuck Arctic agreement

[zorgon]

Private companies may get slice of Arctic oil
01 March, 2012

The Russian Government is considering opening the Arctic oil shelf to private Russian energy companies, PM Vladimir Putin has announced.

The opening up could attract $500 billion investment needed for the shelf development.

"We had made a decision that only companies in which the state owns a controlling stake may work on the shelf of our northern seas. To my mind, this slightly holds back production development. We should think what to do in this sphere for broadening such opportunities," says Putin.

Currently only companies with over 50 % state participation and no less than five years experience of working in marine exploration are allowed to develop the Arctic shelf. Only Rosneft and Gazprom meet these requirements.

The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources proposed simplifying access for private Russian companies to increase the pace of exploration.

The Russian Arctic shelf is believed to hold about 100 billion tonnes of natural resources including 13 billion tones of oil. Though there are 257 oil wells in the region, the major part of the fields are not explored. The level of development of the shelf's resources accounts for 5% of oil and 10% of gas, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The government also plans further lower taxes for the companies developing remote deposits such as Eastern Siberia or the Arctic shelf, Putin added.

Private companies may get slice of Arctic oil

[zorgon]

Russia finds legal way to dig further into Arctic shelf
11 January, 2012

Russia may be the largest country in the world but some think it is still not big enough.

They plan to get closer to the vast maritime resources in the Arctic by expanding Russia's jurisdiction further north.

Officials say the expansion will be possible if Russia slightly changes its approach to the calculation of the territory of the continental shelf.

There are basically two approaches to shelf measurement. The first one involves the so-called "straight lines," taking into the account coastal relief. The second one deals with "normal lines" and the furthest low tide.

When calculating the USSR's territory, scientists used the combination of the two methods. Now Russia's Ministry of Economic Development suggests sticking to the first approach, which will help significantly expand the country's territory

The change will not require any changes to the international law, though the borders will actually be extended by hundreds of miles. The project is expected to be discussed by mid-2012.

For over ten years, Russia has been trying to expand its Arctic borders. The country twice filed requests to the UN, but of no avail. According to the 1982 Maritime Law, a country owning coastal territories can expand its borders by 200 nautical miles. If the country manages to prove that the sea bottom of the continental shelf is actually part of the continent (which is the case with Russia), its territory can be expanded by 350 nautical miles.

Russia's main interest in such an expansion lies in the energy resources the shelf contains, among them oil, gas, and mineral deposits – around 100 billion tonnes in total.

Russia finds legal way to dig further into Arctic shelf

[zorgon]

Most Arctic goodies belong to Russia – US study
12 June, 2009, 02:34

With known reserves of oil and gas running out, the race to find more is on. Experts say all eyes are now focused on the Arctic.

Deep beneath the Arctic icecap and ocean floor lie huge stocks of natural resources, including gas, geologists say. And a new study in the U.S. says Russia owns the rights to most of them.

The report is authored by an American geologist from California, Dr. Donald Gautier, who worked with other international experts to gather data.

But while he's sticking to the scientific side of things, these results are of colossal political importance.

Despite the freezing waters and unwelcoming environment, the Arctic is a hot topic in the political realm. As world supplies dwindle the Arctic's untapped resources will play a key role in the future.

"As opportunities disappear elsewhere, the Arctic is the place that many companies and countries are looking to as the next place to find resources," Dr Gautier says.

When it comes to the difficulties of developing resources in the Arctic, Russia already has the advantage. Not only does it have the longest Arctic border, it is also the only nation with an armada of nuclear ice breakers.

When geologists in California decided to work with experts worldwide, they may not have predicted that the results of their study would heat up the battle for the Arctic. And as natural resources become increasingly important, it may be wise for the U.S. to continue trying to bridge their political divides with Russia.

Russia and the US have long been competitors in the Arctic and this study has put a serious tilt on the playing field in Russia's direction.

Gautier stressed that "Russia is already the world's largest producer of natural gas, and so our findings suggest that the undiscovered resources are going to have the effect of more or less reinforcing that Russian strategic strength with respect to its natural resource potential."

Most Arctic goodies belong to Russia – US study

[biggles]

If half decent women were in charge, we would be spending the billions on trying to preserve that environment for the polar bears and other wildlife; but naturally being men their all going to make it friggin worse.

We should be in charge and the men would be just taking our orders.

[SarK0Y]

to suck a crude from Arctic is very badly bad idea: no tech exists at now to say about whatever safety out there + production can make gas-gushing rate up to Skies. in short, this is pure suicide to enter those Gates. *Sigh* bp & vova - like morons are being gone in Arctic... so bad news.