24 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com
arCtiC
Icebreakers
and the Battle for the arctic
T
he entrance into St. Peters-
burg via boat in early April
would have been difficult
had it not been for Russia's
famous icebreaker ships that
came through a few weeks earlier and broke
up the ice, opening up safe shipping lanes.
Russia's icebreaker fleet in the Baltic Sea
is a significant economic asset. But there's
another region where Russia's expand-
ing fleet of icebreakers is making a more
meaningful difference, not only economi-
cally but also militarily: the Arctic.
Historically, the frigid Arctic has been
relatively free of the geopolitical struggles
among world powers that have influenced
most other regions. But in recent decades,
that has begun to change. The region
has become increasingly important to the
Arctic nations: the United States, Cana-
da, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden,
Finland and Russia. None has been more
determined to dominate the region than
Russia, and it is accomplishing its objective
largely with icebreakers.
Energy and Minerals
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that
the Arctic is home to 30 per cent of the
world's undiscovered natural gas and 13
per cent of the world's oil. The region also
contains vast caches of minerals, such as
gold, zinc and platinum. Altogether these
resources are worth an estimated $30 tril-
lion, and the Russians are tapping into it at
unprecedented rates.
The Yamal liquid natural gas plant is
one notable example. It is located almost
380 miles north of the Arctic Circle line,
close to the polar circle. In the local Ne-
nets language, Yamal literally means "end
of the world." Temperatures around the
Yamal Peninsula drop as low as 50 de-
grees below zero Celsius, for two months
each year there is zero sunlight, and for
seven to nine months, the waters around
this wasteland are frozen solid in ice up
to seven feet thick. Until mining facilities
are opened on the moon, you will not find
BY JEREMIAH JACqUES AND MARCELLO SUkHDEO
