As BarentsObserver reported, 17 billion rubles are allocated from Russia’s federal budget to the development of the third generation nuclear powered icebreakers to operate from Murmansk. It will be a double-hull icebreaker capable of moving in both rivers and seas.
The first vessel in the series is planned to be ready within 2015, MBnews reports. The icebreaker will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including a brand new type of nuclear reactor, the “Ritm 200”.
The nuclear reactor “Ritm 200” is constructed by the company Afrikantov OKB Mechanical Engineering in Nizhny Novgorod. This is the same company that designed and produced the nuclear reactors for the rest of Russia’s nuclear icebreaker fleet, the company’s web site reads.
Russia has eight nuclear icebreakers. Two of these – “Arktika” and “Sibir”, are no longer in service. The other six icebreakers will be taken out of service in 2018-2020.
