“Viktor Chermomyrdin”, Russia’s largest and most powerful diesel electric icebreaker, is to take part in the ArcOP scientific ocean drilling expedition to explore Arctic Ocean paleoceanography and climate. An agreement to this effect was signed by Rosmorport, the Russian governmental port property management agency that operates non-nuclear icebreaker fleet, and Sweden’s Arctic Marine Solutions at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
The expedition focused on the Arctic Ocean as a key location in global climate change is organized by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat (SPRS) and Arctic Marine Solutions (AMS).
An international team of scientists is to collect about 900 m of sediment cores at two sites along the Lomonosov Ridge. The expedition will last for about seven weeks offshore and will be followed by intensive investigation and sampling of the cores onshore to unlock their climate secrets.
The fleet of the expedition will consist of the research vessel “Dina Polaris” and the icebreakers “Viktor Chermomyrdin” and “Oden”.
The ArcOP Expedition will be conducted in August and September 2022.