Ice lies thick on the Yenisey River as nuclear-powered icebreaker "Sibir" escorts a cargo ship to the remote terminal applied by oil company Rosneft

A container ship froze into the waters of Yenisei Bay in Russia’s Arctic. Traveling from Dudinka to Arkhangelsk, the ship got stuck in ice on December 13. The crew battled icing, but was not in danger. Three weeks later, the ship was able to break free. According to Atomflot, the ship did not have necessary permissions to sail along this section of the Northern Sea Route.

Three weeks after it got stuck in Arctic sea-ice, the Sparta-3 makes it into open waters. The situation on board had been strained as reserves of fuel and water shrunk to low levels and the crew had to fight hard with icing. The military transport vessel did not have permission for sailing in the area.

Visiting Vardø near Norway’s maritime border to Russia, the ministers will learn about Arctic sea traffic safety management.

The chief of the U.N. nuclear agency will visit Japan next week to meet with officials and see final preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.