3 icebreakers operate on the Northern Sea Route
There are currently three nuclear icebreakers assisting merchant shipping on the Northern Sea Route – the Russia, the Yamal" and the 50 Years of Victory. The last vessel has just recently completed a series of cruises to the North Pole, Atomflot said.
Another Atomflot’s vessel, the icebreaker Vaigach has completed its work on lines and has returned to the home port for routine maintenance and to prepare for winter navigation. The icebreaker Russia will soon head for Murmansk Malaysia, but in early September, will go back to the Arctic for the annual research expedition of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute to remove a manned drifting ice station NP-39 (North Pole-39) and to set up another one (NP-40). The icebreaker will depart the home port on September 8.