The "Arktika" returned from its two-day test drive to the port of St. Petersburg on Saturday. The nuclear powered icebreaker is part of a triple fleet that is to enable Russia to transport large quantities of oil and gas through the Arctic Ocean in the future. For this purpose, the sea vehicles are supposed to pave the way for other ships through the often meter-thick pack ice.
The functionality and maneuverability of the ship were checked on the test drive, said the company Atomflot, which operates the Russian icebreaker fleet.
Atomflot advertises its ship as the largest nuclear powered icebreaker in the world. The "Arktika" is 173 meters long and more than 34 meters wide. There is space for a crew of 75 on board. According to the manufacturer, the ship displaces 33,000 tons of water and breaks ice plates up to 2.80 meters thick. Although two special nuclear reactors were developed for the drive, the test drive was carried out under diesel, said Atomflot Director Mustafa Kaschka.
The "Arktika" is scheduled to set sail in May 2020, with the last tests scheduled for March and April 2020. With two other icebreakers - "Ural" and "Sibir" - the ship will then help to transport primarily liquefied gas to Southeast Asia via the northeast passage in the Arctic Ocean. The triple fleet is part of a larger project to develop the huge oil and gas reserves in the Arctic, for which Russia is competing with the United States and Canada.
Shortcut through ice
The north-east passage connects the Atlantic and the Pacific via the Arctic Ocean. Global warming has made this route passable in summer. The journey is shorter than the traditional route via the Suez Canal. The Russian merchant navy plans to navigate the passage all year round in the future.
THE MIRROR
In the future, up to 26 million tons of freight are to be transported along the Arctic coast. Whether this goal is achieved also depends on the production volumes of the North Siberian energy projects "Gate of the Arctic" and "Jamal SPG". Because the development is difficult, they have not yet delivered the maximum amount of oil and liquefied natural gas.
