Young African participants successfully completed the International Arctic Expedition  

Talented youth from South Africa, Tunisia and Cameroon has visited the North Pole and discovered the Arctic life features. The expedition on the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy was organised within the Rosatom’s Icebreaker of Knowledge project.

Icebreaker of Knowledge is the fifth scientific and educational expedition and the first international voyage under the project timed to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the nuclear icebreaker fleet this year. The expedition included 78 talented schoolchildren and young experts from South Africa, Tunisia, Cameroon, Mongolia, Hungary, India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Bangladesh, Belarus, Armenia, Uzbekistan and other countries.

The nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy with the expedition team on board departed from Murmansk on August 13. The project participants delivered their national flags to the North Pole where the Icebreaker of Knowledge arrived on August 17. On August 22, the Arctic expedition returned to Murmansk.

‘The Icebreaker of Knowledge participants on board the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy covered 2979 miles. For the first time, the kids travelled to the North Pole, watched fascinating landscapes of the Franz Josef Land archipelago. We saw icebergs, walruses and whales. Sailors, scientists, engineers, researchers, the Arctic is waiting for you! The Icebreaker of Knowledge 2024 returned to Murmansk ready to reach the top of the planet again next year,’ said Ruslan Sasov, Captain of the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy, upon return of the expedition.

‘The little girl inside of me, who wanted to be a petroleum engineer just like her father, and spent hours reading and watching Mike Horn’s adventures in the North Pole, is extremely excited to embark in this lifetime experience and very proud to be one the first Tunisians to reach the top of the world, the latitude 90°N. A great opportunity to learn about the capabilities of the icebreaker and the secrets of the arctic region,’ Islem Bouchouicha, a young expert from Tunisia commented.

The Icebreaker of Knowledge is an international scientific and educational project aiming to popularise natural sciences and nuclear technologies, find and support talented and gifted children, and develop their abilities. The project was organised by the network of Information Centres on Atomic Energy with the support of Rosatom and ‘Knowledge’ Russian society as the project intellectual partner.

During the expedition, the team participated in a rich educational programme including lectures, master classes, scientific games, film shows and a lot of other activities.

On the icebreaker, they also filmed a documentary series about the life of the international team of schoolchildren participating in that Arctic voyage.

During the expedition, Rosatom and ‘Knowledge’ Russian society ran the northernmost lecture course: scientists and popularizers of science gave talks on board the icebreaker and at the North Pole. ‘Knowledge’ Russian society is going to show the northernmost lecture course and the series Icebreaker of Knowledge to public on its platforms in the near future.

Background

Russia is the only country in the world that boasts a nuclear icebreaker fleet. In 2018, Rosatom was appointed the infrastructure operator of the Northern Sea Route. Rosatom considers the development of the Arctic infrastructure and shipping as one of its key tasks. In December 2019, the Government of the Russian Federation approved the NSR Infrastructure Development Plan until 2035 worked out by Rosatom.

The nuclear icebreaker fleet includes seven icebreakers: the lead universal nuclear icebreaker Arktika, the first serial universal nuclear icebreaker Sibir, the second serial universal nuclear icebreaker Ural, the nuclear icebreakers Yamal, 50 Let Pobedy, Taimyr, and Vaigach.

Large Russian companies continue to expand the range of their solutions for attracting personnel and unlocking the potential of promising employees. Rosatom and its companies implement early career guidance programs, while also being involved in the creation of basic departments at Russian universities, scholarship support programs, large educational projects, practical training and internships for students including their further employment.