India may acquire icebreaker ship for polar exploration

NEW DELHI, June 2 (Xinhua) -- India may acquire an icebreaker ship in three years' time to carry out exploration in polar regions -- the Arctic and Antarctica, a top government official has said.

"We are in the process of acquiring an icebreaker ship for carrying out exploration in the polar region," Shailesh Nayak, the secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told the media.

According to the official, the hi-tech ship would cost around 144 million U.S. dollars. "Our estimate as of now is that we should be able to get it by the end of 2016," he said.

India has a principal research base in the Arctic, while it has got three such stations in Antarctica.

"Right now for experiments, we hire or charter the ships from private parties in Russia and Norway.

"With this ship, you can take long cruises as it has a capability of 45 days' endurance and cut through not very thick but 1.5 to 2 meters of ice," the official added.

We recommend:
AN-2 plane crashes in Jalal-Abad region, Kyrgyzstan	Graduation ceremonies of West Point held in New York	People mourn over British fallen soldier in London
'Abused' dolls displayed in Israel	City lit up during Vivid Sydney	Jewish wedding ceremony held in Jerusalem