Russia submits claim for vast Arctic seabed territories at UN

Russia has submitted its bid for vast territories in theArctic to the United Nations, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry said in a statement that Russia is claiming 1.2million square kilometres (over 463,000 square miles) of Arctic seashelf extending more than 350 nautical miles (about 650 kilometres)from the shore.

Russia, the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been tryingto assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, which is believedto hold up to a quarter of the planet's undiscovered oil and gas.

Rivalry for Arctic resources has intensified as shrinking polar iceis opening new opportunities for exploration.

Russia was the first to submit its claim in 2002, but the U.N.sent it back for lack of evidence.

The ministry said that the resubmitted bid contains newarguments. "Ample scientific data collected in years of Arcticresearch are used to back the Russian claim," it said.

Greenpeace responded by warning of the environmental risks.

"The melting of the Arctic ice is uncovering a new andvulnerable sea, but countries like Russia and Norway want to turn itinto the next Saudi Arabia," Greenpeace Russia Arctic campaignerVladimir Chuprov said in a statement.

"Unless we act together, thisregion could be dotted with oil wells and fishing fleets within ourlifetimes."

He urged countries seeking jurisdiction over the Arctic to worktogether to create a protected sanctuary around the North Pole.

Russia expects the U.N. Commission on the Limits of theContinental Shelf to start looking at its bid in the fall, the
ministry said.

Arctic military beefed up

In 2007, Moscow staked a symbolic claim to the Arctic seabed bydropping a canister containing the Russian flag on the ocean floorfrom a submarine at the North Pole.

Amid tensions with the West over Ukraine, the Kremlin also hasmoved to beef up Russian military forces in the Arctic. The efforthas included the restoration of a Soviet-era military base on theNew Siberian Islands and other military outposts in the Arctic.

Russian officials said the facilities are crucial for protectingshipping routes that link Europe with the Pacific region across theArctic Ocean.

Earlier this year, the military conducted sweeping manoeuvres inthe Arctic that involved 38,000 servicemen, more than 50 surfaceships and submarines and 110 aircraft. As part of the drills, themilitary demonstrated its capability to quickly beef up its forceson the Arctic Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land archipelagos.