Arctic Coast News

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday criticized Russia's activities in the Arctic region, describing them as 'unlawful maritime claims' and repeated calls to avoid the militarization of the region, days before a gathering of Arctic nations.Blinken made the warning ahead of a planned meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the first such high-level in-person talks between Washington and Moscow since President Joe Biden took office in January.The United…

When Captain Will Whatley guides a ship through Arctic waters, he is starkly aware of what can go wrong.Double the manpower is needed to navigate. Lookout shifts are kept to just one hour, so sailors don't lose concentration and miss a mass of floating ice. Big icebergs show up on radar, but smaller, truck-sized "bergy bits"—even more dangerous—can be missed, the captain says.The cold can freeze equipment and the earth's magnetic field disrupts compasses. If anything goes wrong…

The Coast Guard needs a ship that can do more than just break ice; it needs a multi-mission ship to provide for the nation’s security, asserting its sovereign rights, and protecting its long-term economic interests. That ship is the Polar Security Cutter.Since Russia cashed the check in 1867 for the purchase of Alaska the U.S. has been an Arctic nation. Today, it is one of eight countries that have territorial land or seas above the Arctic Circle or in the polar region (six of those countries have Arctic Ocean coastline or an exclusive economic zone above the Arctic Circle). The U.S.

Russia is advocating expansion of ports and shipping along the Northern Sea Route (NSR).The  existing excellent contacts between Port of Hamburg Marketing and Russian ports as well as the Hamburg maritime industry’s second most important trading partner in seaborne freight traffic provided the occasion for an expert session on the use of the Northern Sea Route – NSR - and development of transit freight traffic between Europe and Asia.At a meeting in Hamburg, members of a delegation from the Russian company Rosatom briefed interested business and shipping representatives extensively on planning for the expansion of the NSR and opening up the Arctic region.In initial test runs…

Russia's largest independent natural gas producer Novatek has signed a cooperation agreement with the Government of the Chukotka autonomous area, situated in the Russian Far East.As per the agreement, Novatek will consider supply LNG for use in power generation, and as fuel for transport and mining operations."The Russian Federation fully supports the development of the Northern Sea Route as a yearly navigational route connecting the Asian Pacific and European markets. When our LNG transshipment complex in the Kamchatka Territory and the Arctic LNG 2 project become fully operational, the  ice-class LNG tankers will navigate along the Arctic coast of the Chukotka Autonomous Region year-round and almost daily…

China National Offshore Oil Co, or CNOOC, offloaded a liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo on Nov. 11 shipped from Yamal, first of its kind the Chinese firm received from the Russian Arctic gas project, CNOOC said on its website on Tuesday.The cargo, purchased from Russian firm Novatek, was delivered into CNOOC's receiving terminal in Putian of southeastern province of Fujian.Novatek controls Yamal LNG, which is co-invested by France's Total, China's CNPC and the Silk Road Fund. Yamal launched its second LNG train in August with an annual capacity of 5.5 million tonnes.

A Maersk vessel loaded with Russian fish and South Korean electronics will next week become the first containership to navigate an Arctic sea route that Russia hopes will become a new shipping highway.The Arctic voyage by the 3,600 20-foot container capacity Venta Maersk is the latest step in the expansion of the so-called Northern Sea Route which is becoming more accessible to ships as climate change reduces the amount of sea ice.The brand new Venta Maersk, one of the world's largest ice-class vessels, will also collect scientific data, said Maersk, underlining that the voyage is a one-off trial for now.The decision by Maersk, the world's biggest container shipping group…

Russian natural gas producer Novatek delivered on Thursday the first ever liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo to China via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) alongside the Arctic coast, which drastically cuts delivery time to Asian consumers.The shipments of LNG from Yamal LNG project via the NSR to China cuts transportation time and costs in comparison to other routes such as Suez Canal.Novatek said a ceremony was held to commemorate the arrival of LNG tankers Vladimir Rusanov and Eduard Toll with cargo capacity over 170…

On the seafloor of the shallow coastal regions north of Siberia, microorganisms produce methane when they break down plant remains. If this greenhouse gas finds its way into the water, it can also become trapped in the sea ice that forms in these coastal waters. As a result, the gas can be transported thousands of kilometres across the Arctic Ocean and released in a completely different region months later. This phenomenon is the subject of an article by researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, published in the current issue of the online journal Scientific Reports. Although this interaction between methane, ocean and ice has a significant influence on climate change, to date it has not been reflected in climate models.

A recent seminar held March 7 and 8 in Porvoo, Finland, saw Finnish companies Arctia and Lamor Corporation present the results of the IMOR (Ice Management & Oil Recovery) project, which seeks to enhance oil recovery in ice conditions. The oil recovery seminar, arranged by icebreaking services provider Arctia in collaboration with oil spill response specialist Lamor, was opened by the company’s respective CEOs, Tero Vauraste and Fred Larsen. In his speech, Vauraste stated that oil recovery is a key part of Arctia’s range of services.

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft delivered the 2017 State of the Coast Guard Address at the National Press Club Thursday. This was Adm. Zukunft's third State of the Coast Guard Address and he emphasized the service as a unique instrument of national security. First and foremost an armed service, the Coast Guard is the only branch of the U.S. armed forces that has broad law enforcement authorities and a portfolio of more than 60 bi-lateral agreements that extend around the globe, Zukunft said.

The nuclear icebreaker Lenin, the pride and joy of the Soviet Union's Arctic great game, lies at perpetual anchor in the frigid water here. A relic of the Cold War, it is now a museum. But nearly three decades after the Lenin was taken out of service to be turned into a visitor attraction, Russia is again on the march in the Arctic and building new nuclear icebreakers. It is part of a push to firm Moscow's hand in the High North as it vies for dominance with traditional rivals Canada, the United States, and Norway as well as newcomer China.

At nearly 663,000 square miles, Alaska is the biggest state in the United States and over twice the size of Texas. The state’s size and the remoteness of its northern communities make emergency response challenging. In response to growing economic and tourism interests in the Arctic, Coast Guard District 17, Alaska Command and the State of Alaska and other state and federal partners will conduct a mass rescue exercise called Operation Arctic Chinook in Tin City and Kotzebue August 23-24.

Leaders representing all eight coast guard agencies of the Arctic nations met to sign a joint statement establishing the framework for a multi-year strategic plan for the Arctic Coast Guard Forum. The Arctic Coast Guard Forum is an operationally-focused, consensus-based organization. Membership includes Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation and the United States. Since the Arctic Coast Guard Forum was officially launched during a Principals Meeting in New London…

NOAA archaeologists have discovered the battered hulls of two 1800s whaling ships nearly 144 years after they and 31 others sank off the Arctic coast of Alaska in one of the planet's most unexplored ocean regions. The shipwrecks, and parts of other ships, that were found are most likely the remains of 33 ships trapped by pack ice close to the Alaskan Arctic shore in September 1871. The whaling captains had counted on a wind shift from the east to drive the ice out to sea as it had always done in years past.

On October 30, 2015, at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, the heads of eight agencies fulfilling the functions of Coast Guard of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States signed a Joint Statement formally establishing the Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF). The ACGF is an independent, informal, operationally-driven organization. It is not bound by treaty, but will work in cooperation with the Arctic Council to foster safe, secure, and environmentally responsible maritime activity in the Arctic region.

A joint statement, officially establishing the Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF), was signed today by leaders representing all eight coast guard agencies of the Arctic nations. The Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF) is an operationally-focused, consensus-based organization with the purpose of leveraging collective resources to foster safe, secure, and environmentally responsible maritime activity in the Arctic. Membership includes Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation, and the United States. “The United States is proud to join fellow Arctic nations at this inaugural Arctic Coast Guard Forum,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.

The U.S. Coast Guard will host the eight-nation Arctic Coast Guard Forum Summit October 28-30 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Center for Arctic Study and Policy in New London, Conn., where the heads of the coast guards of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation and the United States will meet to formally establish the forum through a signing of a Joint Statement. The Joint Statement formally establishes the operationally-focused, consensus-based organization with the purpose of leveraging collective resources to foster safe, secure and environmentally-responsible maritime activity in the Arctic. Attendees will include Adm. Paul Zukunft, United States; Assistant Commissioner Julie Gascon, Canada; Lt. Gen. Jaako Kaukanen, Finland; Col. Peter H.

State of the Arctic Council to establish a new mechanism to strengthen operational cooperation and coordination of activities at sea. This is dictated by the need to provide security in the Arctic waters. The eight countries of the Arctic Council (AC), form the Arctic Coast Guard Forum (AFBO), the chief of the press service of the US Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander (captain of the third rank), Dave French. It is a joint initiative of the countries have common interests in the Arctic. The structure will include AFBO Denmark, Iceland, Canada, Norway, Russia, Finland, Sweden and the United States. "AFBO will be focused on the operational activities of the organization, to strengthen cooperation and coordination in the Arctic sea.

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Paul Zukunft presented at last week’s 6th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations in Washington, DC. Summarizing Adm. In my role as the Commandant of the Coast Guard, I view the Coast Guard as the lead federal maritime agency when it comes to all things Arctic. By “all things Arctic,” I mean everything from safety of life at sea, to marine environmental protection, to fisheries enforcement and a whole host of Coast Guard missions. They all reside within one service, the United States Coast Guard.

A divided federal appeals court rejected an effort by environmental groups to void a U.S. agency's approval of two oil spill response plans by Royal Dutch Shell Plc related to the company's oil leases in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas on Alaska's Arctic coast.   By a 2-1 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected a claim that the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which is part of the Department of the Interior, acted unlawfully in approving the plans, which relate to leases from 2005, 2007 and 2008.   Many environmental advocates oppose offshore energy exploration in the Arctic, on concern that any spill might prove difficult to clean up once production begins.     (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Citing an increasing need to ensure safety, security and stewardship of Arctic waters, member countries of the Arctic Council gathered at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters Wednesday for a two-day Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF) Experts Meeting. The ACGF, a cooperative initiative between nations with shared maritime interests in the Arctic, includes member nations Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation and the United States. The ACGF will be an operationally-focused organization that strengthens maritime cooperation and coordination in the Arctic.

The research and development expedition to investigate ice and metocean conditions in the Russian arctic organized by The Arctic Research and Design Center (the Rosneft and ExxonMobil JV) with the support of Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute experts has started in the White sea. Scientific research vessel Akademik Tryoshnikov departed the Arkhangelsk port to move along the route from the Kara Sea to the Chukchee Sea, virtually along the whole of the Russian Arctic coast. The comprehensive research expedition will last for 57 days. It will involve experts of Roshydromet, All-Russian Research Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources of the World Ocean named after academician Igor Gramberg and Institute of Geography of the Russsian Academy of Sciences.