A Russian Flag On The Oil-Rich Arctic Seabed
CAN you claim the ocean floor as your territorial land?
Russian explorers readied for a historic descent to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean under the North Pole on Wednesday as part of an expedition to claim the area for Russia, expedition organisers said.
Two Russian ships carrying the explorers, a research vessel and a nuclear ice-breaker were due to reach by 1600 GMT the site from which two mini-submarines will make the descent, they said in a statement.
“The dive is due to happen on Wednesday night,” said Sergei Bolyasnikov, an official at the Arctic and Antarctic Institute in Saint Petersburg, which is organizing the mission.
The dive is believed to be the first of its kind and is part of an epic voyage that aims to advance Russian claims to a swathe of Arctic seabed thought to be rich in oil and gas.
Posted: 1st, August 2007 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
