World's Largest Nuclear Icebreaker In Russia

Russia is the only Arctic state that has its own nuclear icebreaker fleet that is specially built for use in water that is covered by ice the year-round. Four nuclear icebreakers and the world’s only nuclear-powered transport vessel Sevmorput now operate in Russia under the authority of Atomflot (part of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation). However, in the near future, Russia is also looking to acquire next generation icebreakers. The leading universal nuclear-powered icebreaker was named Arktika. In an exclusive interview with R Srinivasan, Vyacheslav V Ruksha, Director General of Atomflot, talks about the new Russian nuclear icebreaker, which is the largest in the world.

- R Srinivasan

What will the new nuclear icebreaker be like?

The Arktika will be the flagship in the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet. The ship will be equipped with a RITM-200 nuclear propulsion plant, which comprises of two reactors with a thermal capacity of 175 megawatts (MW) each. The ship is 173 metres long (almost the size of two football fields), 34 metres wide, with displacement up to 33,500 tonnes. It will be the world’s largest and the most powerful icebreaker. Arktika will be able to move through ice three metres thick at speeds up to 2 knots (3.7 km/per hour). The RITM-200 double-reactor nuclear propulsion system fitted aboard the icebreaker has the thermal capacity of 175 MW and consumes only a few tonnes of nuclear fuel a day. A piston engine would require tens of tonnes of oil for that task. That is why diesel-powered icebreakers are essentially unable to ensure year-round navigation in Arctic regions.

How will the icebreaker be used?