With increased traffic on the Northern Sea Route comes the need for more onshore safety infrastructure. Russia in 2009 allocated 910 million rubles (app €20.6 million) to construction of ten search and rescue (SAR) centers from Murmansk in the west to Provideniya in the East. All centers are planned to be operational by 2015.
The first of the new SAR centers was officially opened in Naryan-Mar on August 20 by Nenets Governor Igor Fyodorov and Deputy Minister of EMERCOM Aleksander Chupriyan.
The center includes a fire department, a department for search and rescue operations with vehicles and boats, a berth and training facilities.
Similar rescue centers will open in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Dudinka, Pevek, Vorkuta, Nadym, Anadyr, Tiksi and Provideniye.
See photos from EMERCOM facilities in Naryan-Mar, Dudinka and Arkhangelsk: