Russia to claim North Pole seabed

[CGowen]

Two Russian Mir-1 and Mir-2 mini-subs have made a test dive to the floor of the Arctic Ocean where oil and gas reserves are believed to exist.
The subs reached a depth of 1.3km (0.8 miles) at a point 87km north of the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

It was a test ahead of a planned descent later this week to leave the Russian flag on the seabed 4km below the North Pole.

Russia wants to prove that waters off its northern coast were in fact an extension of its maritime territory.

To extend the zone, a state has to prove that the structure of the continental shelf is similar to the geological structure within its territory.

At the moment, no country's shelf extends up to the North Pole, so there is an international area around the Pole administered by the International Seabed Authority.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=17813§ionid=351020602


...

Russia has dispatched a submarine to the Arctic Ocean to plant a flag on the seabed of the ocean to claim the North Pole as its territory.

Russia plans to plunge to the bottom of the sea in the next few days to take samples it believes will prove the Lomonosov Ridge, which runs under the Arctic Ocean, is an extension of the Siberian continental shelf and therefore Russian territory.

If a country is able to prove the continental shelf is connected to their land, under a UN convention it will be able to claim sovereignty over the North Pole, a land the size of Western Europe, and all of its fuel and mineral deposits.

The Russians will also plant a one-meter titanium flag at the bottom of the sea to symbolize their claim. The sea depth of the North Pole has been measured at 13,410 ft (4087 m).

Some people believe that the Russian's Arctic expedition is aimed at sending a clear signal to world powers that Russia has shrugged off its post-cold war weakness and will be aggressively pushing and defending its national interests from now on.
...

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=17728§ionid=351020602

[Deja Q]

1. Has anybody found Santa Claus' hovel yet?

[shenmue]

2. Santa Claus is gonna be pissed!

:grr:

[phantom power]

3. I'll be damned. They *are* going to plant a flag.

[CGowen]

4. hey, its not the moon, but better something than nothing n/t

[Dead_Parrot]

6. weirder than expected. nt

[Dogmudgeon]

8. Damned. Yes. We all are.

And so, the Last War begins.

--p!
Not very optimistic this evening.

[phantom power]

5. I wonder who will be the first to contest. And what then.

[IDemo]

7. Does flag planting still seriously carry any weight under international law?

The concept seems utterly ludicrous to me..

[Nihil]

10. Don't know about that ...

... but I bet the second sub down there is going to salvage some titanium!
:-)

[losthills]

9. Peak Oil:

this is what it comes down to.

Think of the environmental damage that will ensue from developing these reserves.

Also: this is a warning shot that the players do not expect concerns about Global Warming to diminish the market for oil...