????若從別人嘴里說出，這聽起來(lái)似乎是科幻小說?？身f里克霍夫正在積極與俄國(guó)政府就此進(jìn)行探討，而且他作為創(chuàng)新大師的履歷使他獲邀出席樓下的盛會(huì)——冰域科技（Icetech）大會(huì)。這個(gè)活動(dòng)由安克雷奇北方研究所（Anchorage's Institute of the North）贊助，發(fā)起人包括美國(guó)前內(nèi)政部長(zhǎng)及前阿拉斯加州長(zhǎng)沃爾特??？藸?。

????北方研究所專注于北冰洋政策研究，其成員相信北冰洋正在迅速開放。只要在會(huì)場(chǎng)里走走就能很清楚地看到這一點(diǎn)。原為底樓舞廳的會(huì)場(chǎng)熙熙攘攘，盡管美國(guó)政府尚未正面應(yīng)對(duì)極地議題，但私營(yíng)公司（通常是其他國(guó)家的公司）已經(jīng)行動(dòng)起來(lái)。

????Arktos船舶公司在加拿大與瑞士均有業(yè)務(wù)的，它正在展示一種兩棲特種船舶，專用于“水與冰交匯的地方”。照片顯示，帶著安全帽的船員正在北里海冰層覆蓋的水下進(jìn)行疏散工作。這種紅色特種船舶可以浮在水面，也能用寬大的輪胎在冰面上像坦克一樣轟鳴著奔馳。它們擁有“載著大量物品在碎冰地帶和冰水交匯區(qū)通行的能力”，宣傳冊(cè)上如是吹噓。

????芬蘭的Aker北極科技公司（Aker Arctic Technology of Finland）宣布，將與俄羅斯企業(yè)合作，共同為俄國(guó)最大的航運(yùn)公司Sovcomflot打造一艘全新的“抗石油泄漏破冰船”。

????加拿大海洋咨詢公司（Oceanic Consulting Corporation）宣傳了“石油與航運(yùn)業(yè)解決方案”，其光面紙印刷的小冊(cè)子展示了關(guān)于船只通過冰原的照片，以及用于測(cè)試船體設(shè)計(jì)的室內(nèi)冰柜。美國(guó)聯(lián)邦機(jī)構(gòu)、企業(yè)和外國(guó)政府的代表在會(huì)展上往來(lái)穿梭。美國(guó)海岸警衛(wèi)隊(duì)（the US Coast Guard）、殼牌、韓國(guó)海事大學(xué)（Korea Maritime University）、美國(guó)海洋能源管理、監(jiān)督與執(zhí)行局（BOEMRE）、加拿大海軍（the Canadian Navy）、羅爾斯-羅伊斯船舶（Rolls-Royce Marine）、巴拿馬運(yùn)河港務(wù)局（the Panama Canal Authority）和海上直升機(jī)公司（Maritime Helicopters）都有人員來(lái)訪。

????考慮到該會(huì)議旨在探討地球上一塊地區(qū)的開放，庫(kù)克船長(zhǎng)酒店似乎是很恰當(dāng)?shù)臅?huì)址。畢竟該酒店正是以著名英國(guó)探險(xiǎn)家?guī)炜嗣?8世紀(jì)進(jìn)行的海洋探險(xiǎn)使當(dāng)時(shí)歐洲人聞所未聞的地帶向全世界開放——這些新領(lǐng)地最終被世界列強(qiáng)瓜分。底層大廳墻壁上繪制著繽紛多彩的9英尺高壁畫，有的描繪著新西蘭（后被英國(guó)宣布為領(lǐng)地）的毛利人；有的則展示南太平洋地區(qū)（英國(guó)人曾在此占據(jù)了許多島嶼）；甚至還有從阿拉斯加副州長(zhǎng)米德?特里德威爾宅邸——離庫(kù)克酒店僅5分鐘車程——那裝著玻璃落地窗的陽(yáng)臺(tái)就能看到的水域；還有一幅壁畫展示庫(kù)克的船只在南極洲與一座冰山擦肩而過的情景。

????舞廳里的會(huì)議穿插著俄語(yǔ)、芬蘭語(yǔ)和韓語(yǔ)。

????輪番上臺(tái)的演講者眾口一詞地告訴全神貫注的聽眾，北冰洋正在迅速發(fā)生變化。

????輪到韋里克霍夫時(shí)，他告訴數(shù)百位聽眾，就在當(dāng)天早上，俄羅斯第一座可移動(dòng)核電站動(dòng)工已經(jīng)開建，日后將被運(yùn)往北冰洋，為當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)供應(yīng)電力。

????他說：“只要把核電站運(yùn)給客戶，接上一兩個(gè)管線?？蛻舨恍枰腥魏魏四芟嚓P(guān)經(jīng)驗(yàn)，把核電站放在那里，六十年之后再回來(lái)把它運(yùn)走就行?！?/p>

????Coming from someone else these ideas might have seemed like science fiction. But Velikhov was actively involved in discussions with the Russian government about them, and his history as an innovator had gotten him invited to the gathering downstairs—Icetech—sponsored by Anchorage's Institute of the North, started by ex–US secretary of the interior and former Alaska governor Walter Hickel.

????Dedicated to the study of Arctic policy, Institute staffers believed the Arctic was opening fast, and it was clear, walking around in the packed ground-floor-ballroom conference location that although the US government was not dealing head-on with polar issues, private companies, usually from other countries, were.

????Arktos Craft, based in Canada and Switzerland, was showcasing an amphibious craft specializing in "interface between ice and water." Photos showed hard-hatted crew, in ice-covered water, carrying out an evacuation in the North Caspian Sea. The red crafts could float or use wide treads to rumble like tanks over ice. They had "the ability to maneuver through ice rubble fields and ice/water transition zones while carrying heavy loads," the brochure bragged.

????Aker Arctic Technology of Finland announced a joint project with Russian companies to develop a new "oil spill combat icebreaker" for Sovcomflot, the largest Russian shipping company.

????Oceanic Consulting Corporation of Canada promoted "solutions for the Petroleum and Shipping Industries." Glossy brochures showed shots of ships moving through ice fields, and photos of indoor ice tanks for testing hull design. Representatives from US federal agencies, corporations and foreign governments circulated through the exhibition space. The US Coast Guard, Shell, Korea Maritime University, BOEMRE, the Canadian Navy, Rolls-Royce Marine, the Panama Canal Authority and Maritime Helicopters all had people there.

????The Cook Hotel seemed an appropriate venue for a meeting designed to discuss an opening region of earth. After all, the building was named for the famed British Explorer whose sea journeys in the 1700s mapped opening areas of the globe previously unknown to Europeans—new territory eventually claimed by world powers—back then. Colorful nine-foot-tall wall murals on the ground floor showed scenes including Maoris in New Zealand, which Britain would claim; the South Seas, where they made more claims, and even waters lying within view of Mead Treadwell's glassed-in back porch five minutes away. One mural showed Cook's ship near icebergs in Antarctica.

????Conversations in the ballroom went on in Russian, Finnish, Korean.

????Speaker after speaker told the rapt audience that the Arctic was in a state of rapid change.

????Velikhov, during his turn, informed several hundred listeners that on that very morning, Russia's first portable nuclear power plant was being built to be barged up to the Arctic and supply power to communities there.

????"You bring the unit to the customer and make the connection with one or two pipes. Customers not need to have any experience with nuclear power. You drop it off and come back 60 years later and pick it up," he said.