Rosatom to deploy all eight Russian nuclear icebreakers via Northern Sea Route in early Dec - company CEO

ST. PETERSBURG. Nov 18 (Interfax) - Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation will deploy all eight of Russia's nuclear-powered icebreakers via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in early December, Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said.

"The weather is harsher this year than last year. Ice formation began two weeks earlier, and this has complicated the operations of our vessels and icebreakers along the Northern Sea Route for various reasons. Nevertheless, five icebreakers are in the waters, and all requests for icebreaker assistance have been met with reserve. All eight [nuclear] icebreakers will be on their routes as of the beginning of December and will begin operating with both Russian and our foreign partners for the first time in the history of our country, the history of developing the Northern Sea Route," Likhachev told reporters following the keel-laying ceremony for the Project 22220 universal nuclear icebreaker Stalingrad, which took place at JSC Baltic Shipyard, a United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) company, on Tuesday.

Atomflot currently operates four Project 22220 universal nuclear-powered icebreakers, namely the Arktika, Sibir, Ural, and Yakutia vessels, and four earlier nuclear-powered icebreakers, namely the Yamal, Taimyr, Vaygach, and 50 Let Pobedy vessels.

JSC Baltic Shipyard is currently continuing construction of a series of Project 22220 icebreakers.