The captain of the fishing vessel, Northern Jaeger, believed he had no selection however to conform and sail 5 hours south, Madsen mentioned.
In one other occasion, Russian planes repeatedly buzzed two American vessels and warned of dwell missile hearth. These ships additionally left the world, and one captain needed to abandon his fishing gear so he might go away rapidly, Madsen mentioned.
The monetary loss for the businesses that personal the ships is within the tens of millions of {dollars}, Madsen mentioned.
Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska warned that the Arctic is the subsequent area of nice army energy competitors and mentioned Russia has constructed up extra infrastructure within the area than the U.S.
“With out additional funding in our polar capabilities, our adversaries’ affect will develop,” mentioned Sullivan, who chaired the listening to. “And if that occurs, we threat our capacity to guard U.S. vessels conducting commerce, to implement worldwide regulation and to defeat threats to our nationwide safety.”
Congress is advancing Arctic initiatives together with a deep-draft port at Nome and a brand new icebreaker, with plans for 5 extra, Sullivan mentioned.
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