Sabetta - is there life beyond the Arctic Circle? How does the closed rotational camp sabetta live in the far north Leading power engineer, Power supply section
Well, dear friends, I had a little rest after air travel and various official troubles, poured a mug of fresh Shcherbakovsky (this is important!), So sit back comfortably - I'll tell you how I suddenly got beyond the Arctic Circle :) After thinking carefully, I decided that the post there will be a lock-in - I didn’t seem to give subscriptions, but you never know what ...
It should be noted that I did not intend to fly there (that is, it seemed like there was a conversation that some work should be done, but it seems like without us and lord they will manage while we are engaged in other projects - but it didn’t work out :) Therefore, we gathered urgently and didn’t really prepare, in particular, I didn’t pack my favorite thermo mug, as a result I had to beg and drink tea from random dishes :)
As usual with us, the work had to be done yesterday, so they blew us off in an emergency order - my Lena was on a business trip in Magnitogorsk until the end of the week, I finally took care of the car, but no - they called and said that you were flying right through three hours through Ekat.
That is, it was not possible to buy tickets for any of the numerous Moscow flights flying from Balandino - I had to take a taxi to our distant suburban airport Koltsovo and from there fly to Domik by plane from S7.
In Moscow, again, I had to take a taxi again and roll it to Vnukovo (on the way, a taxi broke a wheel on the Moscow Ring Road), from where in the morning a Yuteir flight on an exotic Boeing 767-200 flew to the airport with almost French name Sabetta. Well, we spent the night in hard chairs at Vnukovo, tasted all the delights of airport food at Mu-mu and Little Potatoes at absolutely godless prices compared to general Moscow prices.
However, everything was compensated by a wonderful view from the porthole when we flew over Yamal :)
Well, we arrived - we went through a rigorous inspection (it is impossible to transport various things to the territory of the South Tambey gas field, including photographic equipment, and, of course, alcohol-containing materials - so we left without a bottle of isopropyl alcohol to clean optical fibers, we issued on the spot :))
Having passed through the cordons, we went out to the square - and there were shift cars, smaller jeeps (we will talk about them separately), as well as "Trekols" on pneumatics.
We phoned the host, they told us which car to get into and where to go - we got to the village of Sabetta, and there we got a bed in a hostel. Later, we were given cards with which you can pay for food in canteens (not all - there are either 4 or 5 of them on the territory), and also buy any kind of yam in the store like sweets :)
The next day, we went through all sorts of briefings (dozens of small "not", the violation of which is followed by various sanctions both to the violator and to the organization that sent him, and the legal entity has absolutely horse fines) - and this works, comrades, in any case, I for all the time I saw only one person who dared to bring here a bottle of cognac, with which he was tied at the airport.
Actually, there is nothing more to write about - for two weeks we went to the airport in the morning and solved various production tasks :) Since going to lunch meant wasting precious time, we switched to two meals a day - a hearty breakfast in the morning butter and cheese, tea) and dinner upon return from the facility (with soup, second course and salad). Here, in fact, there is nothing special to write about - although I will separately note a few points, especially since few people know about them.
Accommodation
Almost everyone settles in hostels - new and quite modern. From three to six people live in the rooms (this is an ordinary black bone, a permanent staff - shift workers, who, for example, work at the airport, are better arranged :)). There are two toilets on the floor, in which cleanliness and order are constantly maintained, on the first floor there are showers, as well as a kitchenette with a thermospot, and something like a red corner with a TV. Toilets and floors are washed and cleaned by cleaners, mostly middle-aged ladies of Bashkir appearance :)
By the way, about ten percent of the total number of women.
Smoking is allowed only in designated areas
In the middle of the village there is a church - Cyril himself flew to consecrate
Nutrition
Three hundred rubles are enough for a day - the prices are quite acceptable. The portions are large, everything is quite tasty and varied.
Here in the store the assortment is rather scarce and the prices are inadequate,
you can pay either by card within the limit, or in cash, or bank card. All feeding, cleaning and garbage disposal is carried out by the office from Noyabrsk, all security is from Novy Urengoy
Health and treatment
As a rule, on the second or third day, almost everyone, except perhaps those who are constantly on shift, fall ill in a mild form - snot, cough, someone has a low temperature. That is, you need to go here with a set of antiviral agents, vitamins and packaged herbs for brewing (chamomile, sage, hawthorn). In principle, there are health centers that give out medicines and release from work - but here, for example, we had to finish our volume as soon as possible and return home.
An all-wheel drive medical "gazelle" drives around the territory, once a medical Mi-8 flew in, you see, someone was not at all well.
Motor transport
Everyone is driven in shifts on the chassis of all-wheel drive KAMAZ and Ural trucks, sometimes I come across on the Sadko chassis. Accelerating cars - UAZ-Patriot, middle-class bosses drive Mitsubishi L200, less often Toyota HiLux. Other brands and models are found in homeopathic doses. There are a number of all-terrain vehicles on pneumatic rollers from Trekol. Trucks - different
Alas, I didn’t photograph the fire department - both the village and airport ones (the latter are armed with KAMAZ trucks,
two of them are Vargashinsky, listen, chaga
?)
Airport
I really liked it - new, beautiful and modern, the buildings are all on legs, and where this is not possible, with a cooling system - that is, pipes under the buildings in which ammonia circulates so that the foundation does not float in summer (it was hot this year, they say, up to plus 30). From 2 to 6 planes arrive a day, from Moscow and Novy Urengoy, mostly cars of the Yamal airline (who would have thought!), sometimes UTair and also helicopters, including border ones. We also saw An-12 and An-24. Once an SSJ-100 flew in with a polar bear on its tail. The staff is almost all Samara, we liked working with them :). Well, in general - it's cool at the airport: D
People
very different people work - a lot of comrades from Bashkiria, for example :) There is also the Serbian office "Velesstroy" and the Turkish Rega JV - of course, they have a lot of Russians working, but there are also natural Serbs with Turks. And so people fly in from everywhere - St. Petersburg, Moscow, Omsk, Volgograd, I also saw a couple of Indians.
I saw Nenetsov once - they traded venison and fish, and even the stall of the Yamal Deer company stands on the territory of the village. However, the reindeer stew in it is of Kurgan production :)
Arctic foxes periodically run through the territory - it is forbidden to approach them (and even more so to feed them). Catch - too, it's only for the Nenets :) And they especially instructed about polar bears - but God had mercy, did not meet. Well fuck him.
The Gulf of Ob is nearby - but we did not go to it, to the port either. A gas plant is being built, and our office has a facility there, but we managed to get away from it - these are people who come here for a month, but we were not interested in hanging around here.
Flying away from here is a special article, lists are submitted in advance through the general contractor, papers are made for the export of equipment, instruments and tools, otherwise you can drive away with some personal things. However, no one is immune from accidents - so, ours submitted the wrong passport details lord , I had to cut off the tubes and change everything on the go - in the end we managed 10 minutes before the end of registration. They flew back again by 767-200 to Vnukovo, and from there to Che - by B-737-800 "Victory". Well, the bus! Not even a minibus, but an electric train car - since there were many students flying, it vividly reminded me of youth and the electric train Che - Zlatoust.
In general, such is it, an exemplary construction of capitalism! Will I go here again? Who knows, money is needed :) ... And it's beautiful here, yes.
Aurora Borealis seen a couple of times :)
Working in the Far North is not easy. You have to work in difficult climatic conditions: extreme temperatures, constant winds, and mountains of snow. All this is familiar to the residents of the village of Sabetta, who are working on the construction of the Yamal LNG plant. We have already shown a large-scale construction site more than once, but how is the life and leisure of workers arranged?
One of the work shifts has come to an end, and those who have worked are hurrying to the hostel as soon as possible. It's still frosty here, by the evening it's down to minus twenty, and it's full of snow. In this white desert, the orange-and-blue village looks like a bright spot. And here is the shop, also decorated in these colors. In the evening it is crowded. However, there are always enough visitors.
Although it is cramped here, the assortment of goods is pleasing to the eye. Products are brought to the village in large quantities by water, and they are delivered to the store every other day. Treats and drinking water are the most popular among local buyers.
“Sweets are not enough here. I've been here for a very long time - about 4 months, and I can say that I'm drawn to delicious food. Prices, of course, differ from those on the "ground", but in terms of assortment - everything is fine, ”says Denis Kharchenko.
The salesperson Yuliya has been working here on a rotational basis for two years. Came to Sabetta from Omsk. They work with partners almost without rest. But they love their work. Almost everyone is recognized by sight, and the gastronomic preferences of their customers are also remembered.
“Everyone wants something tasty, imagine - constantly eating in the dining room, you don’t want to. Someone is cooking. Chickens buy a lot, now we sell vegetables. They take a lot of vegetables - they constantly ask, and we order. Men carry multicookers with them - and they cook, ”shares the seller Yulia Parakhuda.
Home-work, work-home. Life in the workers' settlement is not happy with diversity. But for hard workers here they tried to make everything as comfortable as possible. Comfortable dorms, spacious dining rooms, and for leisure - a large gym. Those who still have strength after work can go to the gym or kick the ball. Living conditions for people here are worthy.
A settlement of 15 thousand inhabitants in the middle of a snowy desert is another proof that people in our country not only think big, but also do big things. The construction of the century - this is how the Yamal LNG plant can now be called. Well, all these people are just grains of sand of a large-scale project. It is impossible to build the Arctic, but it is possible to build it - with its permission.
The seaport of Sabetta on the map is a completely new geographical name that appeared about a few years ago when it became necessary to develop huge oil and gas fields on the Yamal Peninsula and deliver cargo to the port of Sabetta, as well as to transport hydrocarbons by the Northern Sea Route. The port is named after the working settlement, five kilometers north of which it is located. The port of Sabetta on the map is located in the eastern part of Yamal, on the coast of the 800-kilometer Gulf of Ob, overlooking the Arctic Kara Sea.
The official ceremony to launch the construction of the seaport of Sabetta took place on July 20, 2012, as part of the Yamal LNG project.
As a priority, the builders of the port of Sabetta had to rebuild sea berths capable of receiving any cargo - from building materials to equipment. For this, dredging was carried out and the approach and sea channels were dug, the port water area with a depth of more than 15 meters. This task was completely solved, and already in October 2013 the port of Sabetta opened winter navigation and received the first cargo ships.
Now the capacity of the port of Sabetta allows you to receive cargo all year round. Currently, the construction of the second stage is being completed - terminals for the shipment of liquefied natural gas, which is delivered from the South Tambey gas condensate field.
In the future, it is planned to supply oil, natural gas and gas condensate from the port of Sabetta not only to the countries of Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, but also to the countries of Northern and South America. The next stage of work will be the construction of a facility for the processing of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Active development of deposits literally transforms the peninsula. Previously, there were only a few old dilapidated barracks in the workers' settlement, but now the port village of Sabetta in the photo is locality European type.
It houses several dozen new dormitories designed to accommodate 17,000 people. There is a canteen, a police station and a medical center. A hotel, an administrative and amenity complex with gyms equipped with exercise machines have been built. On the photo of the port of Sabetta, you can see that it has its own boiler house and energy center, a fire station, warm parking for cars, storage facilities for fuel, food and other necessary goods. The ecology of the village is provided by facilities for sewerage and water treatment.
Delivery of cargo to the port of Sabetta
Currently, the most popular and economical way to deliver cargo to the port of Sabetta is by road transport on winter roads - winter roads. In addition, in the port village of Sabetta there is an operating airport, which has been given international status. During the construction of the port of Sabetta, strict observance of international environmental standards is envisaged, while the impact on nature is tried to be minimized.
Tickets for the flight Moscow - Sabetta cannot be bought: they are taken there only according to lists and a passport. There are simply no other options, respectively, random people - too. Red Wings drove there, back - "Yamal". I checked in last, which resulted in a nice bonus, but more on that later. It was unusual to see only adults in line for boarding - sober, calm, without jokes and jokes. Everyone knows where and, most importantly, why they fly. No crazy mothers, no wild animal breeders. A striking contrast to "resort" flights.
The only joke was when a lathered man jumped up to us, who needed to go to Simferopol, and almost flew away with us to Yamal. We slightly kept the intrigue, but nevertheless admitted that Sabetta is not a resort, although it is also on the peninsula. He still managed to get on his plane.
Main square of Sabetta
The captain of the aircraft announced that the airport in Sabetta was overloaded and that we had to wait a bit. Okay, we're waiting. And we are waiting, and we are waiting ... Finally, we were towed, the pilot fired up the engines and drove himself, but at every intersection he stood and let everyone through!
We fed deliciously in flight - I didn’t even expect this from actually rotational transport. And the bonus is that I was sitting at the end of the plane, but alone on three chairs. I thought I'd take a nap, but it was so beautiful behind the porthole that I couldn't get away from it. Yes, and it was also convenient.
Arrived in Sabetta. Here everything was, on the one hand, easier than in Domodedovo, and on the other hand, it was more difficult. No frills like a bus from the plane to the building, but you have to wait a long time for luggage and it is inspected for alcohol. Really look at the conscience. If something raises questions, you need to open the trunk and show it, and it doesn’t matter how tightly the things are packed. Refused - prepare 50 thousand fines.
Nobody refuses. Alcohol in Sabetta, in the settlements and throughout the South Tambey license area (UTLU), including the LNG plant, is under a complete, absolute and total ban. Even in the church they don’t take communion with Cahors. The temple, by the way, is blessed. I decided to go there from arrival - I got to a feast. We sat, talked, told different stories. Met people again.
Temple in the middle of Sabetta.
In general, there are many prohibitions, but they are understandable. If you don’t understand something yourself, they will explain it at the briefing. Explained in simple language. For example, you cannot interact with the local fauna. If a polar bear, then it is clear that he will tear you apart purely out of curiosity, even if he is not hungry. If a polar fox, then it is not known what is on his mind, plus rabies is quite possible. I didn’t see polar bears here, I won’t lie, but arctic foxes run around garbage dumps like cats in cities, and the most daring ones beg yummy from people.
Smoking is allowed only in designated places - on the street in ventilated iron sheds. The order at YUTLU is monitored by security, the law and order - by the police department.
For violation of the rules - either a sensitive (five-six-figure) fine, or deportation. Although there are violations with six signs, but without deportation. For example, booze. Since they drown here brutally, then put the mash - like two fingers. They will feel you drunk - and you yourself will owe money, and your office, and twice as much, but they will not send you home. Eat, they say, go on, bring us the loot. But deportation means that the deportee will never again - neither next time, nor from another office - be able to come here. The only way to come here again is to change your passport. There are people who, for one reason or another, do not drink, who in Sabetta are like fish in water. There are people who specially come here for a shift as for rehabilitation with occupational therapy - because they are unable to stop drinking on their own.
One of the streets of Sabetta. In fact, there are no streets as such - there are only hostel numbers, between which there are passages. All communications are laid on the surface: the permafrost, after all.
More about fines. Tighten the heating in the room so that it doesn’t fry so much - get to 30 thousand. To be at the factory without overalls - minus five percent of the salary for each time. Lack of personal protective equipment (helmets and goggles) - in different ways, depending on the zone where you were caught without them. Lack of insurance when working at height - again, deportation.
About the weather. You come from Moscow to the Arctic - you think, pipets! The next day, the temperature drops to -3, you think: now kick it. The next day, the wind rises from the Arctic Ocean (and I must say that Yamal is almost even and nothing prevents the wind from blowing), you think: now it’s definitely kick-ass! The next day the sun comes out, the wind does not stop, the temperature drops even more, you think: well, okay. The next day is just as cold, but the wind stops blowing, fog comes from the ocean, and you think: in the heat!
Sunrise on Sabetta.
The wind, if it exists, turns the cigarette out of the mouth (because of this, the habit of holding a cigarette with your teeth quickly appears), blows through the fastened zippers on the clothes, and if one of the clothes is not fastened, there is a possibility of losing it. The habit of fastening appears instantly. The wind can really blow a helmet off your head or a yellow vest off your body. At first, it is surprising that all ladders, even if they are two or three steps, are equipped with railings, but when the wind rises, you understand that this is a necessary thing.
In Sabetta there is, as I said, a police station and a first-aid post. The fire department is located at the plant, where firefighters go. With the strict rules of Sabetta, a fire in the village is unlikely, but at the plant for the production of liquefied natural gas, it is quite natural to play it safe. In two weeks, I saw the police only once, but the ambulances go. The main function of medicine here is to treat cuts and abrasions and keep the rabies vaccine ready. If someone is seriously ill, give a certificate, on the basis of which the person goes home ahead of time so that he does not spread the infection and does not parasitize. No simulation is required: in the first-aid post, when applying, they directly ask: “Do you want to go home?” - and, if you want, - good riddance.
In general, it is quite possible to get bored there if these shifts and business trips are treated as exile and hard labor, and not as an adventure. The people, who are weaker, go crazy - it is easier for doctors to send home a yearning person than to strengthen and isolate someone who has already "gone".
Ordinary landscape. Wires and drilling - there is nothing more to catch on the eye.
At YUTLU, everything is done to ensure that people who come there work and do not get fooled by everyday issues: what and how to eat, how to sleep, where to wash and how to maintain hygiene. Literally all questions are closed. I wrote about heating. In hostels on each floor - rooms with washing machines and dryers. On the ground floor there is a separate warm clothes dryer. Cleaning in the room - every other day. Change of bed linen and towels - once a week.
Each person is entitled to a pass - a plastic card, to which money for food is credited daily. Three times a day they are fed for slaughter, but even with my appetite, without denying myself anything, I could not gobble up the entire amount.
About leisure. There is a sports complex with iron and a playground. You need to sign up for iron two days in advance. I didn’t swing - I just regimen and ate. On the site you can play any playground games: volleyball, mini-football, badminton and tennis, there are ping-pong tables. Communication with civilization throughout the area - only via satellite. And it is poor for the user: the voice on the phone in Sabetta keeps well, at the factory - with big interruptions (a mobile phone is not really needed there: everyone has a walkie-talkie), the Internet is only Edge. I saw 3G once, but it quickly fell off. Local network - only in offices, for mail, Internet access is very limited. Wi-Fi is available in some places, but is strictly password-protected. People come with gadgets, watch movies and series, and change with each other on flash drives fresh.
There are two attractions in Sabetta: the torch of the LNG plant, which is visible from everywhere, and the temple. I was also impressed by the old buildings of hostels, in which shift workers and border guards used to live - houses knocked together from boards. There is no one in them now, but they are standing, and this is very expressive. Such a house is quite suitable for a room for a museum of these places. Although the village is young and small, the history here is already rich.
One of the old hostels.
It's cool to see how harsh and gloomy guys during the day poke through cracks and secluded corners in the evenings and coo on the phone with family and friends. Another powerful contrast: life is everywhere. And in a rustic way (in a good sense of the word), couples walking along the streets create a good feeling.
New hostel building. There are many of them in Sabetta - everyone lives there.
In general, there are no random people there. People are different: from all over Russia plus the French, Indians, Turks, Serbs. The Germans make concrete - with German thoroughness. And everyone is really equal.
More about the torch. The torch is a meditative thing. It is really visible from everywhere, and if it is hidden behind buildings, then the whole sky is illuminated with such a flickering red-yellow light. It looks fantastically beautiful: a column of fire from 20 to 50 meters high on a non-fig tower, plus sometimes, when something difficult is burning there, black smoke also flies.
Several times I had to be near him. Well, how close. The first 220 meters from it is a sterile zone where entry is prohibited, and you yourself do not want to go there. But you don’t want to, because already half a kilometer away from it you can barely hear your neighbor because of the hum and it really fries you. From the torch you can warm your hands, like from a fire. You get out of the car and think that spring has come, it's warm: there is mud around, there is no snow at all, well, you think that you can walk without a hat in one helmet. And here’s the hell there: as soon as you enter the shade from some structure, you understand that you had to put on a hat, because in the shade it’s the most winter, that is, the snow crunches, and the ears from cold rolls up into a tube. But already a bummer: you can not remove the helmet. The village of Sabetta is located a few kilometers from the plant, our building was on the last line - and so, there is always a feeling that an airliner is flying over the house, only the noise source does not fly away.
About local rules traffic. I took my driver's license with me and thought that it would be possible to saddle some six-wheeled TREKOL and drive it through the tundra, or drive it around in a pickup truck on icy roads. Fuck everything: fines for traffic violations are about 10 times higher than the "mainland", the speed limit is 50 km / h, and all cars are equipped with GLONASS, you can't hide. Even if you think that no one will notice your violation, the track is constantly being written and randomly checked every few days. The order on the roads is monitored by several services at once, including the traffic police, and discipline is maintained by mutual responsibility. In the tundra, on the "bushes", the opposite is true. There is only one rule: loaded transport has an advantage. Dot. There are no more rules, ride as you like. It looks crazy at first, but then you get used to it.
In short, with an optimistic attitude, time on a business trip to Sabetta is perceived as an extreme, but damn interesting vacation.
The material was published on the East Travel Telegram channel with the consent of the author. It publishes stories about the travels of ordinary people across the most beautiful places Russia and the world: Japan, Jerusalem, Chukotka, Kamchatka, Baikal, Primorye and others.
Recently, the world's first icebreaker tanker was loaded with liquefied natural gas in Yamal. Russian President Vladimir Putin flew to this event. All Interesting Facts, which you need to know about Sabetta and the Yamal LNG plant - in this material.
Where does the "Italian name" Sabetta come from in Yamal?
Sabetta is a shift camp near the Ob Bay of the Kara Sea on the eastern coast of the Yamal Peninsula. The village got its name from the name of the local family of Samoyeds Sabe, who lived in the area and were engaged in reindeer herding. The very name of the Yamal Peninsula is also of Samoyedic origin and means "end of the earth" - Ya-mal.
This is what Sabetta looks like from a bird's eye view. Truly the end of the earth
It is interesting that initially, in the name of the village there was one letter T - Sabeta. But during the restart of the gas-rich region and the international significance of the planned seaport, the name was Europeanized by adding a second T. Now the village sounds a little Italian, with a delay - Sabetta. True, now there is a version, distributed, including by Wikipedia, that the village got its name from the Sabetta-Yakha River, which flows into the Gulf of Ob in this place. In the Nenets language, sabetta means a woman's headdress.
From the camp of the Nenets to the village of Sabeta (with another T in the name) began to turn in 1980, when geologists from the Tambey oil and gas exploration expedition, stationed earlier in Labytnangi, landed here. But by 2002, only 19 residents remained in the village, and the village of Sabeta was abolished in 2006.
How do they live and work there?
Northern lights brighten up the evenings of the Sabetta people
Sergei Neverov
The Yamal Peninsula is a swampy plain. You can only build in winter. And winter in Yamal is ten months a year, several of them are polar night. Frosts of minus 50 degrees are a common thing for shift workers. Squally winds are more of a problem. They work there exclusively on shifts. For three weeks. The hostels are equipped to the highest standard. Workers not spoiled by expensive resorts compare their rooms with three- or four-star hotels. Alcohol throughout the village under the strictest ban. They do not partake of Cahors even in the local church. Those found drunk pay decent fines with five zeros, and their employers with six.
There is little entertainment in the village, but the Internet works, and there are several active groups on social networks. One of them is “Sabetta Super! (Yamal LNG)" on the VKontakte network has almost 20,000 subscribers.
The food is very decent, but in order to get into the canteens, sometimes you have to firmly defend your right. The overwhelming majority of the contingent is male, and shift workers sometimes relieve tension like a man. Among the entertainments are also viewing the northern lights and winter swimming. It is strongly not recommended to make friends with the local fauna. Polar bear can taste just out of curiosity, and foxes that walk around the village in search of handouts can infect with rabies.
Such light phenomenon is common for polar winter and artificial light
Airat Basareev
Temple of Sabetta, where they do not partake of wine
Andrey Starostin
You can swim in Sabetta directly with walruses Aleksey Ivanov
Is it true that outsiders cannot fly to Sabetta?
In Sabetta rebuilt and put into operation international Airport. Red Wings flies from Moscow, AK Yamal flies to Moscow. There are also flights from Novy Urengoy and Salekhard. Officially, tickets for all these flights are not sold. But you can almost always get hooked on shifts, having agreed in advance with the inviting party or with the air carrier.
Baggage inspection at Sabetta airport is carried out for imported alcohol. Any quantity and quality of alcoholic beverages will be confiscated by the security services. You can refuse to check your luggage by paying a fine of 50 thousand rubles.
Sabetta International Airport
Andrey Starostin
Why is Sabetta a seaport, and even an international one?
The construction of the international sea cargo port in Sabetta began in 2012, and already in 2013 it began to receive cargo ships. The seaport was finally ready this year - by the arrival of the world's first and so far the only icebreaker-type gas-carrying tanker. The natural gas liquefaction plant itself is being completed on the territory of the seaport so that liquid gas can be immediately pumped into tankers and shipped along the Northern Sea Route. The first icebreaker tanker will ship LNG straight to China.
"Christophe de Margerie" passes through the 2.1-meter thickness of ice itself
Dmitry Lobusov
Trial commercial voyage of the icebreaker Christophe de Margerie from Norway to South Korea passed the entire Northern Sea Route in 19 days. This is 30% faster than through the Suez Canal. This is the main advantage of the North sea way(SMP). And the NSR is the shortest between the European part of Russia and Far East- the distance from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok along it is a little more than 14 thousand km.
Tanks filled with natural gas Yamal LNG