By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Russia has officially opened the Barneo-2013 drifting base in the Arctic, the Russian Geographical Society said.
The society’s first vice president Artur Chilingarov was quoted as saying that the Russian national flag and that of the society were hoisted above the station Tuesday to mark the official beginning of its work.
The Barneo research station has been set up annually since 2002 on an ice floe at a latitude of some 89 degrees north, approximately 110 km from the North Pole.
All equipment, food and other necessary supplies were flown to the location by plane in March.
At the moment, 56 people are working at the base. A group of Russian, French and US scientists is to arrive at the station later this week. More than 200 tourists are to visit the station before it closes April 25.