Vladimir Vorobyov, chief designer of Iceberg CDB

– Russia enjoys definite advantages in its dialogue with the world community due mostly to its unique fleet

During a recent meeting Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin instructed Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko to draw up a long-term (15-year) plan for developing Russia’s nuclear icebreaker fleet. Now that Russia is actively developing the Arctic region, Rosatom – the new operator of Russia’s nuclear fleet – should specify its actions in this sector. A mock-up of nuclear icebreaker of new generation has been tested in the ice model basin of Krylov Shipbuilding Research Institute in St.Petersburg with the test being very much like real high-latitude navigation amid heavy ice. The director of the institute, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valentin Pashin says that, presently, a group of specialists from Iceberg Design Bureau and colleagues from Finland are working on the technical project of the ship. The project is to ready in 2009. The vessel will most probably be built by Baltiyskiy Zavod, a facility that has built most of Russia’s nuclear icebreakers. The series may consist of 3–4 icebreakers with a capacity of 60MW each (90,000 h p). he designers have suggested a number of new unprecedented technical solutions.

I have been in nuclear shipbuilding for 40 years already and can say that today Russia enjoys definite advantages in its dialogue with the world community due mostly to its unique fleet. If we continue behaving the way we did in the last 15 years, in some 5–6 years we will lose our high reputation as, as far as I know, our rivals are seriously working in this direction.

Without nuclear icebreakers we will hardly be able to develop the Arctic region. Just one example: the tragedy in the northern seas when a dry cargo carrier got stalled in the ice. The whole northern navigation came to a standstill because the ice did not melt till July. This example shows that we direly need nuclear icebreakers as only they can go through northern ice with no dependence on fuel. Only a very powerful ship can break the northern ice. Diesel ships are not good for this job as they need refueling. 

Since the last nuclear icebreaker project – 60 years ago – we have made huge progress in science and engineering and today we are working to build an icebreaker meeting all modern technological standards.

If Russia wants to develop the Arctic coasts it will certainly need nuclear icebreakers. This is a question of national importance.

Today, five states (Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark) are starting a fight for ocean bottom areas beyond the 200-mile economic zones. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea says that those states should prove that those areas are the continuation of their continental shelves. Here Russia enjoys a big advantage as only we yet have nuclear icebreakers. We already have icebreakers that can break 2.9 m ice. That’s why I am sure that our new icebreakers will be able to give us stability in the Arctic region and along the Northern Sea Route.

Nuclear power engineering is the state’s prerogative. That’s exactly why the prime minister has instructed Rosatom to draw up a long-term plan for developing Russia’s nuclear icebreaker fleet.