According to Rosatom, Russia’s federal nuclear corporation, the first icebreaker of the new generation will be ready by 2015, RIA Novosti reports. However, the construction has not yet started.
The Iceberg Design Bureau in St. Petersburg would prepare the design of the icebreaker by 2010. It will be a double-hull icebreaker capable of moving in both rivers and seas.
Today, Russia operates two classes of nuclear powered icebreakers. The river-class icebreaker consisting of the two icebreakers Taimyr and Vaigach. They are mainly used to assist the shipping from Dudinka to the northern outlet of Yenisei river. The ocean-going Arktika-class consists of the icebreakers Arktika, Yamal, 50 years anniversary, Rossia and Sovietsky Soyuz.
The nuclear powered icebreakers were operated by the Murmansk Shipping Company until Rosatom took over in August last year. Still, the service base is Atomflot, some few kilometres north of Murmansk.
It is not given any information about what kind of reactors will be used onboard the third generation icebreakers. The current river class icebreakers have one KLT-40 reactor, while the icebreakers of the Arktika-class are equipped with two KLT-40 reactors.
