Russia Submits Vast Arctic Territory Claims to UN
Russia has submitted its bid for vast territories in the Arctic to the United Nations, AP reported as the Foreign Ministry saying. The ministry said in a statement that Russia is claiming 1.2 million square kilometres (over 463,000 square miles) of Artic sea shelf extending more than 350 nautical miles (about 650 kilometres) from the shore. It said the bid contains new arguments. “Ample scientific data collected in years of Arctic research are used to back the Russian claim,” it said. Moscow also is asserting ownership of the emerging Northern Sea Route, the potentially lucrative seasonal shipping route opening above its northern coastline as Arctic ice melts. Rivalry for Arctic resources has intensified as shrinking polar ice is opening up new opportunities for exploration.
Danes Seek Proof North Polar Area is Theirs
The expedition will be aboard the Swedish icebreaker “Oden”, as it leaves from Svalbard with 46 Swedish and Danish scientists who will gather seismic and depth data to substantiate a future possible claim to the United Nations before November 2014, reports 'Barents Observer'. Denmark has identified five potential claim areas off the Faroe Islands and Greenland - both parts of the Kingdom of Denmark. The expedition will try to find evidence that Greenland’s continental shelf stretches all the way to the North Pole and therefore should be considered as Danish.
