Under the special project of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay, the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of Victory) with the Olympic Torch on board set a double record of reaching “the top of the planet” – for the first time in the history of Arctic shipping it took just 91 hours to reach the geographical North Pole at polar night, says press center of FSUE Atomflot.
The ice-breaker reached the North Pole point on October 19 at 12:37 (Moscow time) while it left Murmansk, the port of registration, on October 15, at 17.25. It took 91 hours to cover 1,395 nautical miles wit the average speed of 15.6 knots. The ice block where the ceremony took place was 1.30 meters thick.
11 torchbearers – three from Russia, two from Norway and one from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, USA and Canada, who have made a huge contribution to the studying of the Arctic - participated in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay.
Upon completion of the expedition, the icebreaker will undergo the dockside repair before winter navigation of 2014.
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N-icebreaker 50 Years of Victory sets off form Murmansk to N. Pole (photo) >>>>
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