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| Published：2021.07.29 News Sources：Qingdao Gute Ship Supplies Co., Ltd. Views： | |||
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4 more! Russia has restarted plans to build an LNG-powered icebreaker
Rosatom will decide whether to build two to four medium-sized LNG-powered icebreakers by the end of the year, Chief Executive Alexei Likhachev said, Reuters reported. Rosatom initially considered ordering an LNG-powered icebreaker in 2018. At the time, Russian energy giant Novatek had signed an understanding with Rosatom to develop an LNG-powered icebreaker, but those plans ultimately went nowhere. An LNG-powered icebreaker is estimated to cost about half as much as a nuclear-powered one, equivalent to about 30 billion rubles ($407 million), compared to 60 billion rubles ($814 million) to build. Rosatom currently operates Russia's nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet, the only one in the world. Rosatom is expanding its fleet of icebreakers to help fulfill the strategic plan to open Russia's current Northern Sea Route (NSR) year-round. The Russian government has appointed Rosatom as the national operator of the Northern Sea Route. Russia has been trying to become a leading power in the Arctic, where the retreat of the ice sheet has allowed it to develop a new shipping route. Ships arriving at Asian ports via the northern route can travel up to 15 days faster than through the traditional Suez Canal route. Transit in the eastern Arctic usually ends in November, but Russia hopes icebreakers will help use the route, which is more accessible due to climate change, throughout the year. In particular, the development of the Northern passage should make it easier to transport oil and gas to Southeast Asia and to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans quickly through the Arctic. 
In October last year, Arktika, the first of a total of five type 22,220 nuclear-powered icebreakers commissioned by Rosatom to be built at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, Russia, was officially put into operation. The ship, the world's largest and most powerful nuclear-powered icebreaker, will operate on the Northern Sea Route and is seen as key to Russia's development of the route. Four more Type 22220 nuclear-powered icebreakers are currently under construction at Baltic shipyards for Rosatom, according to Shipnet International. The second Vessel, Sibir, began construction in May 2015, was launched in September 2017, and was due to be delivered in November 2020. Construction on the third ship, the Ural, began in July 2016, was launched in May this year and is expected to be delivered in 2022. The fourth, Yakutiya, and fifth, Chukotka, were ordered in August last year and are scheduled to be completed by 2025 and 2027. The construction project of the Type 22220 nuclear-powered icebreaker is part of Russia's strategic plan to realize the annual opening of the Northern Sea Route. The nuclear-powered icebreakers will sail along the Northern Sea Route off Russia's Arctic coast, piloting the fleet in the Arctic. As the climate warms, Russia hopes the Northern Sea Route will become a "mini" Suez Canal, shortening sailing time from Asia to Europe. According to the Russian government's target, the freight volume of the Northern Sea Route will increase to 80 million tons by 2024 and further increase to 130 million tons by 2035. In addition to the Type 22220 nuclear-powered icebreaker, Rosatom ordered the Lider heavy-duty nuclear-powered icebreaker in Russia's Red Star Shipyard (Zvezda) in April last year. The 10510 120-megawatt nuclear-powered icebreaker will be the most powerful heavy-duty nuclear-powered icebreaker in the world and is scheduled to be delivered in 2027. |
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