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2023 May 18   10:53

Decision to start building four more conventional icebreakers should be taken in 2023 - Rosatom

A total of 33 vessels and four floating nuclear power stations are under construction today

A decision to start building four more conventional icebreakers should be taken in 2023, Alexei Likhachev, Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, said at the meeting of Vladimir Putin with Government members.  The transcript of the meeting is published on the official website of the Kremlin.

“The implementation of shippers’ investment plans will require an additional shipbuilding order. This order is on a completely different scale. I mentioned the five nuclear-powered icebreakers; now, we need to make a decision on starting another four conventionally-powered icebreakers this year. Overall, we will need up to 100 Arctic class ships, as well as at least 15 floating energy units. This many new ships is of course a challenge for the domestic shipbuilding industry.

The implementation of the shippers’ investment plans will require an additional shipbuilding order. That order is of a completely different scale. I have already informed about five nuclear-powered icebreakers; now, we need to make a decision on starting another four conventionally-powered icebreakers this year. Overall, we will need up to 100 Arctic class ships, as well as at least 15 floating energy units. This many new ships is of course a challenge for the domestic shipbuilding industry,” said Alexei Likhachev.

According to him, Rosatom and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have joined hands to work in this area. The introduction of Rosatom’s production programme lets improve labour productivity and reduce the time for building ships. The system has already been applied at Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard in Nizhny Novgorod. Now, the same programme is being carried out at Baltiysky Zavod shipyard.

According to Alexei Likhachev, 33 vessels and four floating nuclear power stations are under construction today.