Navy restarts summer shuttle to new Arctic bases

This year’s active phase of goods supply to the Arctic archipelagos has started, the Northern Fleet informs in a press release. Several ships will over the next months shuttle between the ports of Murmansk, Kandalaksha and Arkhangelsk and the new and upgraded military bases at Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Northern Island and New Siberian Islands.

The tanker «Kotlas» recently left towards Alexandra Island, Franz Josef Land, loaded with 2,300 tons of diesel fuel, while the ship «Vasily Golovin» brought 2,200 tons of goods to the Northern Island. From before, 5,300 tons of goods have been brought to the latter island, the Navy informs.

Meanwhile, Russia’s nuclear-powered container ship «Sevmorput» has returned to Murmansk from its maiden trip to Kotelny, the New Siberian Islands. The ship carried more than 5,800 tons of goods and was accompanied by the icebreaker «Yamal».

The “Sevmorput” is the world’s only nuclear-powered container ship and left the port of Murmansk on May 5. It was the ship’s first journey along the Northern Sea Route in ten years.

A lion’s share of the goods shipped to the archipelagos is construction materials needed for the major new base facilities erected on the sites. The Russian Ministry of Defense plans to complete construction of the bases in the course of the year, the Northern Fleet press service says.