Canada on mission to map Arctic, lay claim to broader boundaries

[NickB79]

http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-canada-arctic-mission-20140811-story.html

Canada has dispatched two icebreakers to map the Arctic seabed beneath the North Pole to support a bid to extend the country's maritime territory deeper into the waterways at the top of the world.

A preliminary submission to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in December laid claim to about 460,000 square miles of undersea territory in the far north. Canada's claim is likely to be challenged by Russia and Denmark, though. Both have asserted sovereignty over Arctic passages and the suspected oil and mineral wealth beneath.

Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers Terry Fox and Louis S. St. Laurent set out from Newfoundland on Friday and Saturday, respectively, on a six-week mission to map an undersea feature called the Lomonosov Ridge that extends from Ellesmere Island to the North Pole, a statement from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development said.

"As demonstrated by these planned surveys, our government is committing the resources necessary to ensure that Canada secures international recognition of the full extent of its continental shelf, including the North Pole,” said Foreign Minister John Baird.

Gotta make sure we have enough oil and gas to see us through to the collapse of global civilization in a few decades!

[Ghost Dog]

1. One expects NATO to clarly defend this member's territory,

right?

(As so should national and international environmental authorities).