On the 3rd of August, Russia has submitted a claim to the UN Continental Shelf Commission, for the Arctic shelf.
This is the second time when this has happened. The first time was in 2001. The claim was rejected, because the Commission stated that additional research is needed in order for a decision to be taken.
After 14 years of research, Russia has decided to submit a new claim for the North Pole.
“The claim determinating the outer borders of the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean is based on the scientific understanding that the central Arctic underwater ridges, among them the Lomonosov, Medeleev, Alfa and Chukotskoye Heights, as well as the in between basins of Podvodnikov and Chukotskaya, have a continental character” – says an official statement, according to RIA Novosti
Greenland submitted a claim for the North Pole in 2014, so that request is in conflict with the Russian one.
If Russia gets its approval, it will expand its territory by 1.2 million square kilometers. The area allegedly includes over 350 gold deposits, two nickel fields, 160 gas fields, and some 590 oil fields, amounting to approximately 258 billion tons of fuel equivalent.
Octavian Cătuşanu
Sursa foto: traveltop.net