Just to add:
The events over the last few weeks have clearly highlighted the ever-present dangers of sailing and navigating in "Arctic" waters.
However, and fortunately for both Conico and for its shareholders, the captain and the crew of the Argus are clearly very skilled in operating in "Arctic" waters i.e. given that the captain and the crew of the Argus, as well as TS and CNJ's exploration and drilling team all made it fairly quickly and totally safely back to Iceland (after being temporarily trapped in sea-ice a for a few days!!), it is patently clear that the captain and the crew of the Argus know exactly what they are doing i.e. CNJ's exploration and drilling team are in very safe hands, and are ready to set out to East Greenland again at the earliest opportunity and commence drilling at Ryberg asap.
It should also be noted, that there is a significant lack of suitable ships and skilled crews to undertake such challenging "Arctic sailing" expeditions in such relatively small vessels. Enough said.
As I have pointed out several times here over the last couple of weeks, IMHO, the captain and the crew of the Argus are currently waiting for calm and thus far more predictable "Arctic" waters (and far less sea-ice!) before they set off with TS and CNJ's exploration and drilling team to commence CNJ's second drilling season at Ryberg and later at Mestersvig, which should be a milestone year for both Conico and for its shareholders (as well as for TAJ, TS and their entire team!).
It goes without saying, that I am sure that TAJ, TS and their team have not been twiddling their thumbs whilst they have been moored back in Iceland. Rather, I am sure that they will have been further analysing data and replanning their various drilling programs, in order to optimise their time both at Ryberg and at Mesteresvig and thus compensating for what will now be an at least 3 week delay in getting started at Ryberg.
Why the wait for these calm and far more predictable "Arctic" waters (and far less sea-ice!) before settting off? Quite simply, there are major risks associated with sailing in "Arctic" waters and thus the highest priority for the captain and the crew of the Argus is to avoid the chances of any sort of incident happening. Why? If a ship experiences any sort of major problems in "Arctic" waters, rescue operations will always be very difficult. Apart from this, any sort of incident could lead to a major financial and time loss, as it would require a prolonged salvage operation. It also goes without saying, that this would be huge disaster for both Conico and for its shareholders, apart from also being a harrowing experience for the captain and the crew of the Argus, and not to mention TS and CNJ's exploration and drilling team!
Generally, the "Arctic" marine environment is undergoing extraordinary environmental changes. Access to "Arctic" waters is changing quickly as the amount of sea-ice steadily reduces, which is enabling longer "Arctic" water "sailing" and "shipping" seasons and finally enabling access to previously extremely difficult to reach regions like East Greenland, which is home to significant natural resources. These resources are only just now being explored and discovered by pioneering companies like Conico, as the glaciers that have covered East Greenland for centuries quickly (and sometimes disconcertingly) recede.
The growing worldwide demand for base, precious and critical metals (as well as their significantly higher prices), and the significantly better access through these "Arctic" waters to East Greenland (as well as as the promise of shorter shipping routes!) is piquing the interest of mineral exploration companies (as well as major miners, huge industry conglomerates and entire nations) around the world. For these reasons, I therefore see a real rush by mineral explorers to peg prospective tenements in Greenland.
In this regard, Conico already has a major "first-mover" advantage i.e. before the competition really hots up in the race to explore and discover base, precious and critical metals resources in Greenland.
If Conico are successful with their upcoming drilling program (the results of which we will probably at least partially know by September), you can bet that the interest in both Conico and in Greenland will be huge.
GLTAH.
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