Deep in the ocean lie what some say are crucial resources for expanding the world’s renewable energy. The discovery of mineral riches in the deep seas has sparked a mining mania, but also concern about environmental impact.
Ukraine's potential natural gas reserves are estimated at 5.6 trillion cubic meters, with an extractable amount of 924 billion cubic meters, the country's Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Kistion announced on Tuesday.
When we are witnessing the incompetence of many politicians to
comprehend the reality of the hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean,
and the major prospects they offer to both Greece and Cyprus, we are
wondering as to how they will manage the mineral wealth of the two
States of Hellenism.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that he had signed a document establishing the Russian border on Russia's continental shelf in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Russia has submitted an application to the Secretariat of the UN
Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for establishing its
borders in the Arctic Ocean, Natural Resources Minister Sergey Donskoi
said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Russia submitted a revised application to the United Nations, seeking the expansion of its Arctic shelf border through the inclusion of the Lomonosov Ridge and other sections of the Arctic Ocean seafloor that have continental shelf properties.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday he sees no need of NATO presence in the Arctic. “We firmly believe that there are no problems in the Arctic which
demand NATO participation, moreover, there are no problems there which
demand military decisions,” the minister said during a public lecture on
Russia’s foreign policy. According to Lavrov, long before the Ukrainian crisis, NATO said and
continues saying that the military factor in the Arctic will increase
amid the escalation of the fight for the resources.
“The Arctic is a territory of dialogue,” the minister stressed. “We use
this slogan for regular forums in Russia, and the work of the Arctic
Council, to a large extent, is drawn up in this way,” he said.
The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf has recognized the Sea of Okhotsk enclave with an area of 52,000 sq.km part of the Russian continental shelf, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Sergey Donskoy told Russian journalists today.
He said that the ministry has received a formal certificate from the UN Commission satisfying Russia’s appeal to recognize the enclave in the Sea of Okhotsk part of the Russian shelf. This is an actually acknowledged fact and I can congratulate everyone, the minister said.
Answering an Itar-Tass correspondent’s question, the minister stressed that the decision on the enclave is final and not subject to revision. Now the enclave is fully under Russia’s jurisdiction, the minister said.
« Je demande d'accorder une attention particulière au déploiement
d'infrastructures et d'unités militaires dans l'Arctique », a déclaré
Vladimir Poutine lors d'une réunion au ministère de la défense
retransmise à la télévision publique, au lendemain du lancement d'une
procédure par le Canada pour étendre sa souveraineté dans la région.
«
La Russie s'investit de plus en plus dans cette région d'avenir, y
revient et doit y disposer de tous les leviers pour assurer sa sécurité
et défendre ses intérêts nationaux », a ajouté le président russe. Il a
notamment indiqué qu'il s'agissait de remettre en service l'aéroport
militaire de Tiksi, en zone polaire au nord de la Iakoutie (Sibérie
orientale) et de mener des travaux sur celui de Severomorsk, sur la mer
de Barents dans le nord-ouest de la Russie.
China’s most advanced deep sea exploration vessel, the "Ocean 6" has set sail for the Pacific Ocean.
96 scientists will be on board, the biggest number of personnel ever
for such a mission.
On its 160 day voyage, the vessel will reach
destinations such as Guam and Hawaii. It will explore mineral resources
in the seabed and will also conduct geographic and sea biology studies.
"Ocean 6" was designed and manufactured in China. Compared to other
vessels of its kind, "Ocean 6" is bigger, safer, and provides a more
comfortable living environment for the research team.