December 3, 2024

On December 3, 1959, the flag was raised on the world’s first nuclear icebreaker Lenin

FSUE Atomflot (part of the state corporation Rosatom) celebrates 65 years since its foundation. On December 3, 1959, the state flag was raised on the world’s first nuclear icebreaker Lenin. Today, December 3 is the Day of the Russian Nuclear Icebreaker Fleet.

Rosatomflot provides icebreaker support for Arctic projects, carries out icebreaker escorts for ships in the waters of the Northern Sea Route and in freezing ports of Russia, provides a range of port fleet services in the port of Sabetta, and ensures the safe handling of nuclear materials and radioactive waste.

In addition, the enterprise participates in the implementation of works on environmental rehabilitation of the North-West region of Russia. Due to the specific features of the propulsion systems, one of the technical tasks is to ensure the safe handling of nuclear materials and radioactive waste.

The Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet currently includes the following vessels: the lead universal nuclear icebreaker Arktika, the first serial universal nuclear icebreaker Sibir, the second serial universal nuclear icebreaker Ural with a capacity of 81 thousand horsepower, two nuclear icebreakers with a capacity of 75 thousand horsepower (Yamal and 50 Let Pobedy), two icebreakers with a capacity of about 50 thousand horsepower (Taimyr and Vaigach), and the nuclear container ship Sevmorput with a capacity of 40 thousand horsepower.

In addition to the nuclear icebreaker fleet, Rosatomflot operates nuclear technology service vessels, as well as port fleet vessels designed to support operations in the waters of the port of Sabetta.

Since 2018, when the Russian government granted Rosatom the authority to act as the infrastructure operator of the Northern Sea Route, the corporation has been supervising the federal project “Development of the Northern Sea Route”, and is also participating in the implementation of the NSR development plan until 2035 and the initiative for the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation until 2030 “Year-Round Northern Sea Route».

One of the strategic goals of the Rosatom state corporation is to make the Northern Sea Route an effective transport artery. A federal project is currently being implemented to develop the Great Northern Sea Route — a transport corridor from St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. The most important task for the coming years is to ensure year-round navigation along the NSR. For this purpose, new nuclear icebreakers are being built by order of Rosatom. 

Today, the Northern Sea Route is Russia’s main transport artery in the Arctic. It is impossible to imagine effective work in the waters of the Northern Sea Route without the operator of the nuclear icebreaker fleet — FSUE Atomflot.

Source: https://portnews.ru/news/371007/