Norwegian Polar Institute News

The extent of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles outside Bouvet Island has now been clarified with the Continental Shelf Commission (CSC) in New York.The Commission’s recommendation is in line with Norway’s proposal submitted to the Commission in 2009 and revised in 2015.According to a press note from Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the work on the shelf proposal.NPD, which is the State’s authority charged with geotechnical mapping of the continental shelf, has been responsible for preparing the technical and scientific documentation required by the UN Convention on Law of the Sea.

A new oceanographic icebreaker being built for the Norwegian government has been launched at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia. The vessel, Kronprins Haakon, touted by the builder as “one of the most advanced oceanographic icebreakers in the world,” will continue to undergo final outfitting ahead of its delivery by the end of 2017. Kronprins Haakon will be owned by the Norwegian Polar Institute for the Norwegian Government, while the vessel, taking its name from the heir to the Norwegian throne…

Standing near Greenland's Jakobshavn glacier, the reputed source of the iceberg that sank the Titanic over a century ago, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry saw evidence of another looming catastrophe. Giant icebergs broken off from the glacier seemed to groan as they drifted behind him, signaling eventual rising oceans that scientists warn will submerge islands and populated coastal region. Briefed by researchers aboard a Royal Danish Navy patrol ship, Kerry appeared stunned by how fast the ice sheets are melting. He was struck by the more dire warnings he was hearing about the same process underway in Antarctica. "This has been a significant eye-opener for me and I have spent 25 years or engaged in this issue…

Employees of the Institute of Sea Research spotted 17 species of blue whales in the Barents Sea in the area of ​​Svalbard. Animals returned to the region after a century of absence. On these meetings the giant cetaceans reported this summer, coast guard ships, and even cruise ships. "We meet more and more huge whales and minke whales and humpback whales. But blue whales - it's very unusual. Meeting with the huge animals on earth - it is unforgettable! "- Said the guard-mate Johnny Roaldsend. Norwegian scientists say that in these waters blue whales have not seen for about 100 years. A large group of individuals living here during the summer season - is very encouraging news. "The number of blue whales in the North grows. This is great news!

From Naryan-Mar complex expedition started "Investigation Atlantic walrus habitat" for the study of animal southeastern Barents Sea. The expedition of seven experts on the research vessel "Kartesh" organized by the Council on Marine Mammals (CMM). It also involved experts WWF. The route will pass it on to the delta of the Pechora. Vaigach, the press service of the CMM. Members of the expedition are planning to mark the satellite transmitters at least ten animals, and to obtain information from the photographic set last year. Work carried out in the framework of cooperation agreements with CMM State Nature Reserve "Nenets" and the Norwegian Polar Institute. Undoubtedly, these scientific data will be needed in the evaluation of human impact on the ecosystem of the Barents Sea.

The new RV Kronprins Haakon, the first Norwegian Icebreaker built for Polar research, and the first purpose built polar research vessel since Roald Amundsen’s Maud launched in 1917, will start regular science cruises in 2017 with a complete hydroacoustic systems package from Kongsberg Maritime. Builder Fincantieri has selected a combined delivery of Kongsberg Maritime survey technology, including a wide range of Simrad scientific research systems for the Kronprins Haakon. Kongsberg Maritime will also supply an extensive K-Bridge system…

Rolls-Royce has been awarded a contract by ship builder Fincantieri to supply a fully integrated propulsion system for Norway’s new Polar Research Vessel, which will carry out significant environmental research at the North and South Poles. The Rolls-Royce system includes gen-sets with a power electric system, a range of thrusters and automation and control systems. The vessel, to be named FF Kronprins Haakon, is a NVC 395 POLAR design from Rolls-Royce ordered by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. Detailed design will be carried out by Fincantieri. It is designed to operate through rough ice conditions, and will be equipped to cover a wide range of marine research operations, such as monitoring fishing stocks, metrological studies, sea floor sampling and mapping.

Arctic sea ice has set a new winter record by freezing over the smallest extent since satellite records began in 1979, in a new sign of long-term climate change, U.S. data showed on Thursday. The ice floating on the Arctic Ocean around the North Pole reached its maximum annual extent of just 14.54 million square kms (5.61 million sq miles) on Feb. 25 - slightly bigger than Canada - and is now expected to shrink with a spring thaw. "This year's maximum ice extent was the lowest in the satellite record…

India and Norway closer to one another in questions related to Polar Research and a new proposal for polar research co-operation is on the anvil, reports Press Trust of India. The Norwegian Research Council and the Ministry of Earth Sciences in India will announce a new proposal for polar research very soon, Minister Counsellor at the Norwegian Embassy in India, Sigvald T Hauge said. This will further strengthen, we believe, the long-standing polar collaboration between the two countries. Indian scientists are carrying out important researches at the 'Himadri' Arctic research station in Svalbard in Norway. President Pranab Mukherjee…

On December 18, Member of Rosneft Board of Directors, special representative of President of the Russian Federation on international cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic Artur Chilingarov made a report "Russia and Norway: Prospects for Cooperation in the Arctic" at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. "Arctic development will help to melt the ice of distrust between Russia and the West," Chilingarov asserted. He cited Rosneft's joint projects as examples of successful Russian-Norwegian cooperation on the Arctic shelf. He emphasized, that the recent Pobeda (Victory) oil field discovery in the Kara Sea became a common victory, primarily, for the Russian and Norwegian specialists. The Universitetskaya well drilling results surpassed the boldest expectations.

Norway wants to let oil and gas companies drill in Arctic seas that were frozen as recently as the 1980s even though some climate experts say it is too early to trust global warming to keep the ice away. Russia is also showing new interest in the Arctic despite high costs in a region where governments are struggling to set safety rules after BP's 2010 blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, the worst offshore spill in U.S. history. Many companies, including ConocoPhillips and Idemitsu…

The ship will be named “Kronprins Haakon”, in honour of the heir to the Norwegian throne and will be built in Italy in the Fincantieri integrated shipyard in Riva Trigoso-Muggiano, before undergoing final outfitting and sea trials in Norway at VARD – a member of the Fincantieri Group. The new vessel, designed by Rolls Royce Marine, is due to be launched in the second half of 2016, and to be fully operative from the beginning of 2017. The project, promoted by the Norwegian government, has a total value of about 175 million euro.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) is helping clients execute voyages through the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as this new trade lane begins to open up new opportunities for shipping. WSS is working with Russian Arctic shipping specialist Rosatomflot for ice-breaking assistance and has developed a programme to assists clients with technical, legal and insurance preparations they must satisfy to make the journey safely. The NSR is currently open between 1 July and 1 November but holds out the long-term prospect of a faster route between Northern Europe and North Asia/Alaska, cutting the journey time on an Europe-Asia voyage from 34 days to 22 days.