The Northern Sea Route stretches from the Kara Strait in the west to the Bering Strait in the east. The harsh ice conditions and severe Arctic climate are the main obstacles to navigation in the region. The Arctic summer is short, but during the warmer months, the Mikhail Somov, a legendary diesel-electric vessel, manages to make two voyages. The entire route, with all the drop-off points, is carefully thought-out. Most of the stops are located on steep, rocky shores. Others are located in the shallow waters of the northern seas. In such cases, an Mi-8 helicopter from the 2nd Arkhangelsk United Aviation Division comes to help deliver the cargo.
Northern Sea Route
Series, 3rd place
Loading cargo aboard the Mikhail Somov research and expedition vessel. Mechanic Ivan Matyushev commands the crew to fasten the cargo.
The cargo crew of the Mikhail Somov research and expedition vessel. An Mi-8 helicopter collects empty fuel barrels.
A scheduled inspection of the meteorological observation platform. Employees with the Northern Directorate for Hydrometeorology, Mikhail Cheshkov and Georgy Kokorin, install a new mast at the autonomous meteorological station.
The Admiral Kolchak tugboat has found its final resting place at the northernmost shore of Eurasia, Cape Chelyuskin. The tugboat, corroding in the salty water, is a reminder that the Arctic is an uncontrollable force of nature.
Transporting containers. Pavel Radionovsky, the fourth electrical engineer of the Mikhail Somov vessel, waits for the helicopter. The chapel, built in 2009 to commemorate the pioneers of the Northern Sea Route, is one of the northernmost chapels in the world (located at 75 degrees north latitude).
A long-awaited meeting: Olga Baikova, acting head of the expedition, hugs Alexandra Komchumbayeva, head of the station. The vessel has brought two employees; one of them is Alexandra’s son.v
The outskirts of the Kamenka hydrometeorological base. First autumn frost.
An Mi-8 helicopter delivers a container to Pevek.
Halo, the white sun of the polar desert, near the Valkarkay polar station. The station became famous after the movie, How I Spent the Summer, directed by Alexei Popogrebsky.
Polar bears pose the main threat to a polar explorer’s life. The deserted houses that surround polar stations are often used as dens, which complicates the already hard work of a polar explorer.
Concluding the work at the polar station. The crew and expedition members on their way to the Mi-8 helicopter which will take them aboard a vessel.
Aurora Borealis, the harbinger of a polar night.