From Murmansk to Tiksi via Northern Sea Route

From Murmansk to the Port of Varandei; across the Barents Sea, through the Kara Strait and Kara Sea; past the east coast of Novaya Zemlya, western Yamal, Bely and Gavrilova islands to the Shokalsky Strait. Then south, along the west coast of the Taimyr Peninsula, to the Port of Tiksi. This was the route the ice-breaker Yamal followed during an Arctic expedition that ended yesterday.
Photo: October Revolution Island.

The ice-breaker departed the Murmansk port of registration on August 3, and reached the Port of Varandei on schedule where training flights of the helicopter were carried out on its deck.

The Yamal stayed put as the Mi-8 (Hip) helicopter landed and took off under calm seas and 10-kilometer visibility. Several helicopters successfully transported 80 delegation members on to the ship on August 6. The expedition included representatives from the Arctic countries: Russia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the United States, Denmark and Iceland.

As the ship sailed further into the Arctic, the air became purer: the dust disappeared and the color of the sea faded into unnatural shades.

The Shokalsky Strait rarely sees ship traffic.

The village of Tiksi greeted the Arctic expedition with bright sunshine, clear skies and tables full of food.

The seaport is located east of the mouth of the River Lena on a bay in the Laptev Sea.

Tiksi was founded in 1933 as a service port along the Northern Sea Route. According to the 2010 census, the population of Tiksi is 5,892 people.

Many of the windows on the houses in Tiksi are nailed shut.

The city is inside the Arctic Circle, so the local climate is harsh. The mean temperature in January is minus 32 degrees Celsius, and during the warmest months of July and August the average reaches 7 C. The end of September is the beginning of winter in Tiksi, and it does not end until May or June.