Construction of Russia's fifth Project 22220-class nuclear icebreaker, the largest and most powerful in the world, may formally begin in the near future, Alexey Likhachev, the director general of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said on Wednesday
MURMANSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2020) Construction of Russia's fifth Project 22220-class nuclear icebreaker, the largest and most powerful in the world, may formally begin in the near future, Alexey Likhachev, the director general of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said on Wednesday.
Likhachev spoke at a ceremony to mark the handing over of the first Project 22220-class icebreaker, named Arktika. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was in attendance as the Russian flag was raised on the ship, which is docked at the Russian northern port of Murmansk.
"Our icebreakers have a lot of work ahead of them, significant work on the development of the Northern Sea Route. I am glad that two more icebreakers � Siberia and Ural � are being prepared for delivery at the Baltic Shipyard. This year, Yakutia was laid down, and we also expect the same for Chukotka in the near future," Likhachev said at the handing over ceremony.
The latest developments show that Russia is taking a leading role in the Arctic region, the Rosatom director general stated, adding that the Project 22220 icebreakers were a technological marvel.
"The icebreaker is a work of art. It is a great miracle of engineering and scientific work. Two powerful hearts are beating inside it in the form of the RITM-200 atomic reactors, which are a true embodiment of scientific progress and are the best in the world in terms of their characteristics," Likhachev commented.
The Rosatom director general also said that he was confident more than 31 million tonnes of goods would be transported via the Northern Sea Route this year.
Arktika, the first ship of the Project 22220 class, is expected to enter operation in December. The vessels, which can break ice up to 10 feet in thickness, are expected to clear the Northern Sea Route to facilitate the delivery of hydrocarbons from northern Russia to the Asia-Pacific region.
