Category: Politics

Norway Pauses Deep-Sea Mining Plans Until 2029

Lisa Scherk

Norway has decided to halt deep-sea mining plans in Arctic waters until at least 2029. The move was announced on 1 December 2024.

South Korea Is Investing Heavily in Building Arctic-Capable Ships

Heiner Kubny

The South Korean government is pushing its Arctic strategy forward.

Ivittuut – Greenland’s forgotten cryolite capital

Marcel Schütz

On the southwestern edge of Greenland lies the ghost town of Ivittuut. Once a lively settlement due to its global importance in the production of metallic aluminum.

Atomflot sues Dutch shipping company

Heiner Kubny

On 25 July 2025, Atomflot filed a lawsuit against the Dutch company Damen Shipyards Gorinchem B.V. with the Murmansk Region Arbitration Court, demanding the repayment of €12.6 million in advance payments for the construction of ice-class tugboats for the Northern Sea Route.

New Zealand and Switzerland Deepen Cooperation in Antarctic Research

Marcel Schütz

New Zealand’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Craig Hawke, handed over the Memorandum of Arrangement between Antarctica New Zealand and the Swiss Polar Institute

Greenland seeks closer ties with the EU

Heiner Kubny

Forty years after leaving the EEA, Greenland is seeking closer ties with the EU again. Following pressure from Trump on the island, the government in Nuuk wants to forge closer ties with Europe and hopes for more financial support.

Russia withdraws from the Barents Sea Agreement

Heiner Kubny

The Barents Sea faces the threat of an environmental disaster following the potential collapse of the fisheries agreement between Norway and Russia.

New Russian-Chinese Collaboration in the Polar Regions

Marcel Schütz

Russia and China will jointly train specialists for navigation in polar waters, according to a memorandum signed during Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s visit to China, the Russian Ministry of Transport announced on its Telegram channel.

Precious metal production in Chukotka continues to grow

Heiner Kubny

Chukotka is a remote region in north-eastern Russia, home to several large gold mines. The region is known for its harsh climate and difficult living conditions.

China launches 42nd Antarctic expedition

Heiner Kubny

As part of this expedition, China plans to drill into deep lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet for the first time. Using hot water and melt drilling systems, boreholes will be drilled through more than 3,000 metres of ice.