Atomflot is working on extending the service life of icebreakers that are in operation today

FSUE Atomflot is working on extending the service life of icebreakers that are in operation today, IAA PortNews correspondent sites Stanislav Golovinsky, Deputy Director General for Development, FSUE Atomflot, as saying at the 2^nd International Conference Arctic-2017. 

According to Stanislav Golovinsky, nuclear-powered icebreakers that are in operation today have a resource of nuclear power unit of 100,000 hours and a service life of 26 years. 

“Today, we have an experience of operating the Arktika icebreaker for 177,000 with a service life of 31 years. Realizing the lack of icebreakers we are carrying out a programme on the resource extension to 250,000 hours. We will also extend the service life, we have such an experience. Of course, we cannot do without construction of new icebreakers. Extension is possible for certain time. We will build icebreakers and decommission those in operation after a full replacement,” said Stanislav Golovinsky.

He added that FSUE Atomflot is currently operating 4 nuclear-powered icebreakers: 2 in the Gulf of Ob, 1 on the Yenisei river and 1 in the Kara Sea. 

“With the current flow of cargoes the number of icebreakers is not sufficient. Three nuclear-powered icebreakers are under construction – Arktika, Sibir, Ural. The forth and the fifth should be built, as well as the Leader icebreaker. Than cargo flow of 80 mln t is quite realistic”, said Stanislav Golovinsky.