The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of September 28, 2020
Fire at Equinor Plant on Melkøya Island
On September 28, a turbine fire on Melkøya island resulted in Equinor’s LNG facility in Hammerfest being shut down. The fire burned for eight hours. Equinor, Norway’s state-owned energy company, reported that all of its employees had been evacuated and that the fire had been put out with no serious injuries. The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority stated that they consider Monday’s fire to be one of the most serious in Norwegian petroleum history. The plant will remain closed for at least a month with the incident being investigated by both the police and the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority. (High North News, News in English, SP Global)
Take 1: The Equinor facility on Melkøya island has been known to have issues in the past. It recently resumed operations after a gas leak was discovered on September 13. In 2012, during an audit it was discovered that it had violated many safety equipment rules. While it is fortunate that no one was hurt during the last accident, it hopefully will spur the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority to conduct a thorough inspection not just of this facility but of all Arctic facilities. Such accidents don’t just affect Equinor or the surrounding communities, but also run the risk of negatively affecting a very fragile ecosystem. Hopefully the cause of the recent fire will be known soon so that vital lessons can be learned, and mitigation efforts be put in place.
U.S. Coast Guard Conducts Arctic Operations
On September 29, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Campbell returned to its home port after spending two months off the coast of Greenland. The Campbell covered 11,500 miles, supported research efforts, conducted search and rescue exercises with the French and Danish navies, and hosted various diplomatic engagements. In support of research, the ship and its crew deployed oceanographic research buoys measuring ocean currents and wave heights that later were analyzed. (Navy Times, Sea Power Magazine, The Barents Observer)
Take 2: The deployment of the Campbell in Arctic waters signifies a couple of things. First, the U.S. commitment to investing time and resources into the Arctic is real. The Campbell is the first medium size Famous class ship to spend over 21 days in Arctic waters. Second, U.S. commitment means more than just military exercises. Focusing on scientific research will help in future glacier monitoring, diplomatic engagements with key leaders, and improving search and rescue capabilities by conducting joint training exercises, all of which are vital to improving relations with its Arctic neighbors. Yet, when it comes to the Arctic the U.S. is never alone in showing an interest. This last week both China and Russia had research ships complete their own missions. Arctic waters are becoming increasingly full of interested parties.
China’s Icebreaker Completes Arctic Expedition
On September 29, China’s first domestically built polar icebreaker Xue Long 2 (“Snow Dragon 2”) completed its first expedition to the Arctic. The 122-meter-long vessel left its home port of Shanghai on July 15, and after traveling 12,000 nautical miles, the researchers on board successfully obtained a number of sediment samples from the Arctic seabed, including a record long sediment core sample from a depth of 1870 meters in the Northwind Basin of the Arctic Ocean. The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources intends to use the collected data to expand its research knowledge about climate change in the Arctic and “prepare the ground for a solid foundation for more efficient reaction to global climate change.” (The Barents Observer, Xinhuanet)
Take 3: Now with the introduction of a new Arctic icebreaker, China reminds the world yet again about its growing interest in the region and sends a powerful message that it doesn’t only want to be seen as a “near-Arctic state” but also as a leader in “polar affairs.” The scientific aim of this expedition is a testimony to China’s desire to perhaps take the lead in fighting climate change, a field that both the U.S. and Russia don’t appear to be exercising that much leadership in. Only time will tell if China’s interest in creating a more “efficient reaction” to climate change is genuine or just idle boasting.
The Growing Arctic Connection
On September 29, three Norwegian companies, six Japanese companies and five Finnish companies stated that they will join the Finnish infrastructure company Cinia Ltd and Russian mobile phone provider MegaFon in building the Trans-Arctic undersea cable project that was first proposed in 2018. If built, the connection link will be the first trans-Arctic submarine telecom cable between Europe and Asia. It will be 10,600 km long with a data rate of 66 terabytes per second, making it one of the fastest in the world. After the completion of feasibility studies, construction will follow and aims to be completed by the end of 2023. The total cost of the project is estimated to around $758- $853 million. (Submarine Networks, The Barents Observer)
Take 4: It is clear that the Arctic submarine cable project has gained a lot of international interest since it was first proposed in 2018. With the additional companies now joining, there seems to be no reason why the project would not go through. If completed, there is the potential that the telecom cable will have a positive impact on the region by improving research opportunities, business activities, and overall safety infrastructure. Beyond helping the local economy, increased connectivity in the Arctic has the potential to improve the global economy by adding redundancy in international telecom networks, and by establishing a new route between Asia and Europe.
Airborne Measurements Over the Arctic
On September 29, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced that it will support atmospheric scientists from Stony Brook University in a new Arctic research project. The researchers will utilize two aircrafts to study areas around the Alaska North Slope regions and the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The aircrafts are necessary to conduct airborne measurements of halogens, and other chemicals in the gas phase, within particles, and in cloud droplets. The research aims to gain a better understanding of the atmospheric chemistry that impacts particulate matter, ozone and cloud chemical composition in the context of the rapidly changing Arctic. (National Science Foundation)
Take 5: The new Arctic research will be the first time anyone has carried out extensive airborne measurements of halogen gases, particles, and cloud droplets in the Arctic. These measurements help researchers obtain an understanding of how the atmosphere over the Arctic cleans itself in the polar regions, and also serve as valuable data that can be used by the greater research community in the years to come. Supporting such a research project is therefore necessary to gain a better understanding of what the Arctic will look like in the future.