«North Pole» could become a platform for cooperation, expert says

MOSCOW, July 29The Russian ice-resistant platform «North Pole» can become a platform for international cooperation, the involvement of scientists from China and India in Arctic expeditions is being discussed, said Alexander Makarov, director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), in an interview.
«Now the ice-resistant platform has successfully demonstrated its work in the Arctic, it can be an excellent platform for international cooperation. We are already actively discussing this topic with our Indian and Chinese colleagues,» Makarov said.
< br />According to him, during the recent official visit to Moscow by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a memorandum was signed between the AARI and the Indian National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Makarov specified that the document envisages the expansion of cooperation between Russia and India in the field of scientific research and logistics in the polar regions.

«We have a long history of cooperation with our Indian colleagues in Antarctica — our stations are located nearby, we always help each other. It is impossible to work in Antarctica without mutual support. In the coming years, we will begin work on expanding cooperation in the Arctic. By the way, a similar format is also being discussed with our colleagues from China,» the head of the institute added.
The drifting polar expedition «North Pole-41», conducted for the first time in a new format — with the support of an ice-resistant platform, ended in May 2024. It became a continuation of the domestic program of drifting polar stations «North Pole», which began in 1937 with an expedition led by Ivan Papanin. In 2013, the program had to be curtailed due to the melting of ice in the Arctic.
The vessel «North Pole», which has no analogues in the world, was built at the Admiralty Shipyards and launched in 2022. For polar explorers, it became transport, home, research center and even a measuring device — sensors are built into the LSP hull that will help study the ice situation.