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SVALBARD

Norway in helicopter rescue operation of Russian near North Pole

Norway rescued a Russian in need of emergency medical assistance on board a scientific vessel stuck in ice near the North Pole in a spectacular helicopter operation, its rescue services said Wednesday.

Published: 7 June 2023 12:00 CEST
Pictured is Svalbard in the Arctic Circle.
A Norwegian helicopter refueled in Svalbard, pictured, before carrying out the rescue operation. Pictured is Svalbard in the Arctic Circle. Photo by Einar Storsul on Unsplash

The evacuation took place on Tuesday evening from the Russian ship Severny Polyus (North Pole), located at the 86th parallel north, above Norway’s
Svalbard archipelago some 240 nautical miles (around 444 kilometres, 276 miles) from the North Pole.

At the request of Russian authorities, Norway dispatched a Super Puma helicopter from Longyearbyen, the main town on Svalbard some 500 nautical miles away, to evacuate a Russian whose condition was considered too serious to be treated on board.

“It’s the extreme limit of what the helicopter can do” in terms of range, a spokesman for Norway’s Bodo rescue centre, Rune Danielsen, told AFP.

“The slightest detail counts when going that far: weight, wind conditions, etc,” he said.

The operation was carried out in line with Norwegian-Russian bilateral accords on Arctic search and rescues, despite a deterioration of relations
between the two countries since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

According to manufacturer Airbus Helicopters, the H215 Super Puma has a maximum range of 866 kilometres, without an additional external tank.

The Norwegian helicopter filled its tanks in northern Svalbard, where fuel is stocked for this kind of extreme mission in the Arctic, and the 83-metre
Severny Polyus, which is stuck in the ice in connection with a scientific expedition, then resupplied it with more kerosene for the return journey.

The Russian patient arrived in Longyearbyen around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) and was transferred to a medical plane headed for the Norwegian mainland. Details of his condition were not known.

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SVALBARD

Norway calls off sale of last private land in Arctic Svalbard

The Norwegian government called offa plan to sell the last privately owned piece of land on the strategic Arctic archipelago of Svalbard on Monday in order to prevent its acquisition by China.

Published: 1 July 2024 12:35 CEST
Norway calls off sale of last private land in Arctic Svalbard

The remote Sore Fagerfjord property in southwestern Svalbard — 60 square kilometres (23 square miles) of mountains, plains and a glacier — was on sale for 300 million euros ($326 million).

The archipelago is located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, in an Arctic region that has become a geopolitical and economic hotspot as the ice melts and relations grow ever frostier between Russia and the West.

Svalbard is governed under an unusual legal framework that allows foreign entities to gain footholds in the region.

A treaty signed in 1920 recognises Norwegian sovereignty over the territory but it also gives citizens of the signatory powers — which include Russia and China — the same rights to exploit its mineral resources.

Russia, for example, has maintained a coal mining community on Svalbard, via the state-run company Trust Arktikugol, for decades.

Yet Norway, keen to protect its sovereignty, would not look kindly on the property falling into foreign hands, and the government said Monday a potential sale will require state approval under national security law.

“The current owners of Sore Fagerfjord… are open to selling to actors that could challenge Norwegian legislation in Svalbard,” Trade and Industry Minister Cecilie Myrseth said.

“It could disturb stability in the region and potentially threaten Norwegian interests,” she added.

Lawyer Per Kyllingstad, who represents the sellers, has previously told AFP that he had received “concrete signs of interest” from potential Chinese buyers who have “been showing a real interest in the Arctic and Svalbard for a long time.”

The piece of land is a unique occasion to grab the “last private land in Svalbard, and, to our knowledge, the last private land in the world’s High Arctic,” he said.

Kyllingstad did not immediately respond to the government announcement.

The property’s seller is a company controlled by a Russian-born Norwegian, according to local media.

Critics are sceptical about the price and feasibility of the sale. The property, in the southwest of the archipelago where no infrastructure exists, covers protected areas where construction and motorised transport are prohibited, stripping it of commercial value.

In 2016, the government paid 33.5 million euros to acquire the second-last piece of private land on Svalbard, near Longyearbyen, which was also reportedly being eyed by Chinese investors.

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