Russia Starts Building Largest-Ever Nuclear Icebreaker Construction of the largest and most powerful nuclear-powered icebreaker began on Tuesday in St. Petersburg’s Baltic Shipyard. The yet-unnamed ship, to be powered by two nuclear reactors, will be 14 meters (46 feet) longer and four meters (13 feet) wider than the current largest, the 50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of Victory), used last month to bring the Olympic flame to the North Pole. Russia is the only country with a nuclear icebreaker fleet. The record-breaking vessel, being constructed under a 37.9 billion ruble ($1.2 billion) contract, is expected to be floated out in November 2015. By December 2017, the icebreaker must complete its sea and ice trials and arrive at the Murmansk base of Atomflot, which operates the country’s commercial icebreaker fleet. “There are no doubts that this work will be completed in due time and with due quality,†Ivan Kamenskikh, the president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, said during Tuesday’s ceremony. Russia Starts Building Largest-Ever Nuclear Icebreaker | Russia | RIA Novosti
First time hearing about Nuke Powered Commercial Ice Breakers They already operating Nuke Powered Commercial ships
Model of the Russian LK-60 Ya nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 MOSCOW, August 7 (RIA Novosti) - The next-generation nuclear- powered Russian icebreakers scheduled to be put into operation in 2017-2021 were named “Arctic,†“Siberia†and “Ural,†Rosatomflot Director General Vyacheslav Ruksha said Thursday. “We need to put the first LK-60Ya model universal nuclear icebreaker into operation no later than the end of 2017. The second icebreaker is expected to arrive from the shipyard in late 2019- early 2020, and the third one – late 2020-early 2021. These icebreakers named ‘Arctic,’ ‘Siberia’ and ‘Ural’ are able to navigate through ice up to almost three meters thick,†Ruksha told RIA Novosti. The first LK-60 nuclear icebreaker, the largest of its kind, is being constructed at the Baltiysky Zavod shipyard. The contract is valued at 37 billion rubles (over $1 bln). Rosatomflot is a subsidiary of Russian state corporation Rosatom dedicated to nuclear- powered marine vessels. Among the main duties performed by Rosatomflot are piloting and towing vessels to increase navigation speeds, transporting cargo safety out of ports near Russia’s Arctic coastline, conducting rescue operations on ice and carrying out research programs. New Russian Nuclear-Powered Icebreakers Named ‘Arctic,’ ‘Siberia’ and ‘Ural’ | Russia | RIA Novosti
it's indeed very reckless and awful for the environment. List of Russian nuclear submarine accidents: Chap. 8: Nuclear submarine accidents - The Russian Northern Fleet http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...uclear-submarine-accident-leaves-20-dead.html
Even India is aquiring one of these, i guess from Russia...... for arctic and antarctic exploration. India to acquire icebreaker for polar exploration
The article doesn't seem to state where it may actually be built, but i think it could be Russia. They know how to build icebreakers, we lack the experience to build such vessel and climate. Even Chinese uses Ukrainian built ice breaker.
