The Arkhangelsk Branch ice breakers will be actively used this year for a series of research works in the Arctic basin on behalf of the Russian Federation.

On July, 10 the Dikson ice breaker left the Arkhangelsk seaport for the seaport of Kirkines (Norway) to have contemporary seismic equipment installed. This ice breaker is to be used according to a contract with Federal State Unitary Research Production Enterprise “Sevmorgeo” for conducting geological and geophysical research to find grounds for the continental nature of the Mendeleev elevation in the Arctic Sea and to set outer border of the continental shelf of the Russian Federation. After installation of the equipment, the Dikson ice breaker supported by the Kapitan Dranitsyn diesel ice breaker will head for a two-month expedition with that mission in August 2012 to the central part of the Arctic Basin – the East Siberian Sea.

Simultaneosly the Kapitan Kosolapov ice breaker, also after installation of additional equipment in the Kirkines seaport, will head for the Kara Sea on the order of CJSC Belfrakht for a three-month expedition in order to conduct geophysical works in that sea.