Flagship of Russian Antarctic fleet heads for Antarctic continent

The Akademik Fyodorov research expedition ship with the participants of the 49th Antarctic expedition on board is expected to leave for the Antarctic on Monday.

The departure of the Russian Antarctic fleet's flagship from St. Petersburg is opening the work of the regular 49th Russian Antarctic expedition (RAE), the Arctic and Antarctic Scientific Research Institute reported.

The ship is carrying 102 members of the wintering and seasonal RAE, as well as 72 crewmen. The Akademik Fyodorov will deliver 2,731 tons of cargoes - fuel, foodstuffs, construction cargoes, materials and scientific equipment - to the Antarctic regions.

The ship has to make two cruises to the Antarctic regions the port of Capetown, South Africa, during the voyage.

Seasonal scientific and expedition works at the Antarctic stations Mirny and Progress, Druzhnaya-4 and Molodyozhnaya stations will be done, and a complex of oceanographic research in the Southern Ocean's seas will be carried out in the course of the first cruise.

In the course of the second part of the work in the Antarctic regions the craft will complete the replacement of the wintering shift of the expedition at Novolazarevskaya, Progress and Mirny stations.

Presumably, the ship will return to St. Petersburg on May 12, 2004.