State contract for construction of two nuclear-powered icebreakers is to be signed by the end of the year
The issue of the ageing nuclear-powered icebreakers should be addressed right now since half of ships run by State Corporation Rosatom were built with the application of technologies not smart enough, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said at the meeting on current issues held by Russian President Vladimir Putin with permanent members of the Security Council.
“Those icebreakers will reach the end of their service lives by 2026-2027. If they are not replaced with new ships of modern design in the near time, there is a risk of icebreakers deficit to be faced by 2030. To prevent the situation, nuclear-powered icebreakers are under construction in Saint-Petersburg and in the Primorsky Territory in pursuance of the presidential orders,” said Dmitry Medvedev.
According to him, a state contract for construction of two more nuclear-powered icebreakers is to be signed by the end of the year. As of today, the fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers numbers 6 units. “Two of them, despite all the difficulties, were put into operation in 2020 and in 2021. New modern ship of this class is to be put into operation soon,” said Deputy Chairman of the Security Council.
However, systemic problems have been revealed while building and commissioning of icebreakers – schedule disruption due to delayed supplies, deficit of qualified personnel and need for additional financing.
According to Dmitry Medvedev, construction of the nuclear-powered icebreakers is still behind the schedule.
He also said that the structure of cargo transportation on the Northern Sea Route has changed. According to the forecasts of shippers, cargo flow in the Arctic waters can increase in 2024 as compared with the initial plans and it is expected to grow.
“That is explained by a number of reasons including the sanctions and redirection of Russian exports of energy resources to the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region as well as by a number of other factors. Therefore, the demand for nuclear-powered icebreakers needed to escort ships will increase. The construction of conventional icebreakers should be intensified. They will ensure the passage of ships near large terminals and let nuclear-powered icebreakers operate in the eastern sector of the Northern Sea Route,” said Dmitry Medvedev.
IAA PortNews correspondent earlier cited Vladimir Arutyunyan, Head of Marine Operations Headquarters at Glavsevmorput (Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route), as saying that the Northern Sea Route (NSR) may lack icebreakers while Alexei Likhachev, head of Rosatom, estimated the demand for new ice class ships needed for operation on the Northern Sea Route at 75-80 units.
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