Atomflot, a subsidiary of the State Corporation Rosatom, which operates nuclear icebreakers in the Arctic, published its preliminary results of the winter-spring season and announced an increase in the volume of cargo transportation.
In the period from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023, nuclear-powered icebreakers provided 435 ship calls. The total gross tonnage was 48.6 million tons, while from December 2021 to June 2022 it was 44.1 million tons. Ships provided 200 ship calls to new projects for the construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) enterprises, namely Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG-2.
"The growth in cargo traffic is associated with the active construction of new projects in the Yenisei Bay," said Leonid Irlitsa, Acting Director General of Atomflot.
"The work of the crew of the universal nuclear icebreaker Ural is commendable. In early December last year, the ship made its maiden voyage and the crew quickly adapted to the icebreaker and ensured the smooth piloting. Now the nuclear-powered ship continues to operate in the waters of the Northern Sea Route. In addition, our efficient interaction with GlavSevmorput company demonstrates the readiness of Rosatom to solve problems of any complexity in the Arctic."
At present, the nuclear icebreakers Arktika, Sibir and Taimyr continue to operate in the waters of the Northern Sea Route. In Murmansk, the scheduled repairs of the Yamal and Vaigach nuclear icebreakers continue. The crew of the 50 Years of Victory nuclear-powered icebreaker is preparing to embark on a commercial tourism-oriented voyage towards the North Pole.
Theodor Lisovoy, Editor in Chief of the European bureau, Rough&Polished
