Uelen

In Uelen, Chukotka, a volunteer 'Bear Patrol' has been driving away a white bear for over a week after its initial appearance on February 26, attracted by the scent of stored walrus meat. The bear’s recurring intrusion has raised concerns as Uelen lies along the polar bear migration route, and similar incidents have reportedly tripled compared to previous years.

A polar bear wandered into the village of Uelen in Chukotka, Russia, causing alarm among residents who quickly took shelter. Bear patrol workers were able to safely drive the bear away without incident. Local residents note that polar bears have visited more often this year than last year. Taking this case into account, patrol volunteers have chased away the polar predators 6 times.

A storm in Chukotka cleared ice, enabling the coal ship 'Tanir' to deliver 2,000 tons of coal to the village of Uelen.

A polar bear was drawn to the Hope Dog Sled Race in Chukotka, Russia, an unusual event for the area. It is the third recent visit of a bear to the village. In size and build, the polar predator is similar to the same bear thatdisturbedlocal residents on the night of March 28.

A polar bear was seen in Uelen after stealing walrus meat from local residents, prompting caution as the animal roamed the village during its migration season.

A UAF graduate student has found microplastics in the stomachs of spotted seals harvested in the Bering Strait region.

Two more Russian LNG tankers made history earlier this month passing through the North Sea Route, which extends along the northern coast of Russian Asia, in late January, the latest commercial ship

One of three propulsion units on the tanker “Nikolay Yevgenov” was damaged on January 16 as the vessel approached the Bering Strait. After having sailed with a speed of about 9 knots from Sabetta, the tanker suddenly slowed to 3 knots.

Last week, a 908-foot Russian tanker carrying liquified natural gas passed south through the Russian side of the Bering Strait, with two more to follow. The ships are traversing the northern coast of Siberia, called the North Sea Route, in the middle of January with no icebreaker escort, an unprecedented event that may hint at the future of the region as climate change alters global commerce.

Cold temperatures and traffic congestion at the Panama Canal has resulted in a shortage of natural gas and exploding prices in parts of Asia. Now, Novatek aims to send LNG from the Arctic to Japan during the middle of winter in an untested high-risk, high-reward strategy. 

Despite rapidly freezing Arctic waters, Moscow continues to send more than 20 years old ships without ice class to the Northern Sea Route. 'They are compromising security,' a Norwegian professor in ice navigation says.