The Government of the Russian Federation will allocate RUB 86.1 bln for construction of two serial multipurpose icebreakers in 2014-2020. According to the Government press center, the Decree dated August 19, 2013, is based on the document elaborated by the Nuclear Energy State Corporation (Rosatom) and signed under the ruling of the President.
The estimated cost of the construction is RUB 42,002,810,000 for the first serial multipurpose icebreaker and RUB 44,102,620,000 for the second one. The financing will be distributed by years.
As of today, five nuclear icebreakers operate at the Northern Sea Route. In view of the remaining life and expiration of the operating icebreakers’ effective life, the only icebreaker to remain by 2021 is the 50 let Pobedy, the statement says. Effective life of the shallow-draft icebreakers, the Taimyr and the Vaygach, expires in 2017.
To replace the operating icebreaking feet at the appropriate time and to ensure uninterrupted icebreaking assistance of vessels on the Northern Sea Route and round-the-year shipping of crude hydrocarbons from the Yamal Peninsula starting from 2017 (in compliance with the comprehensive plan for the development of LNG production on Yamal approved by the Government Decree No 1713-r dated October 11, 2010), three multipurpose nuclear icebreakers are to be built and put into operation by 2021 including the lead icebreaker which is to be commissioned not later than in 2017, the first and the second serial icebreakers – in 2019 and in 2020 respectively. The decision on the construction of the lead icebreaker was signed by the RF Government on June 29, 2012).
Under the decision of the RF President concerning the consolidation of Russia’s position on the Arctic directions, RF Government and the federal executive authorities were ordered to elaborate plans on further expansion of Russia’s fleet of icebreakers in order to prevent its reduction with scheduled utilization of overaged vessels. With the RF Government Decree coming into effect, three multipurpose nuclear icebreakers (the lead icebreaker and two serial icebreakers) will be put into operation before the end of 2020.
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