Kara Sea

Recently, the Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy collided with the cargo vessel Yamal Krechet in the Kara Sea.

• The icebreaker sustained damage to its port side edge plating, but its seaworthiness remained intact.
• The Kara Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Siberia, Russia.
• It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya and from the Laptev Sea to the east by Severnaya Zemlya.
• Major rivers draining into the Kara Sea include the Yenisey, Ob, Pyasina, and Kara.
• The sea’s salinity varies from 10–12 ppt near river mouths to 33 ppt at Franz Josef Land.
• The Kara Sea is part of Russia’s Northern Sea Route, a crucial passage for Arctic shipping.