Russian Federation conglomerate Rosatom announced that they will begin construction of two new nuclear powered ice breakers in St. Petersburg during May of 2024 and 2025.
This will bolster Russia’s nuclear icebreaker fleet of seven ships: Taymyr, Vaygach, Yamal, 50 Let Pobedy, Arktika, Sibir, Ural.
According to Russian state owned media:
“The government has determined the amount of funds allocated from the budget for three years, and the state corporation has determined its sources of financing. Budget investments in the construction of these two icebreakers, which will operate in the waters of the Northern Sea Route, are planned in the amount of 58.9 billion rubles,” the agency’s interlocutor added.”
As of 2021, twelve civilian nuclear-powered vessels have entered service in the USSR and Russia. Eleven of these are icebreakers, and one is a cargo ship with an icebreaking bow. All six nuclear-powered icebreakers of the Arktika class have been built at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. Vaygach and Taymyr were built at the Helsinki New Shipyard in Finland and then brought to Russia for installation of the reactors and turbogenerators. The Russian Federation is the only country in the world with nuclear ice breakers.