Russia’s nuclear fleet operator Atomflot celebrated its 65th anniversary in December 2024. The company boasts a decades-long track record in icebreaker operation, new ambitious projects, and even museum activities. It is Atomflot’s team that makes the Northern Sea Route increasingly attractive for freight traffic.
For the benefit of trade and science
The Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet, the only one in the world, approached its 65th anniversary with performance indicators rising. The latest addition to its fleet is Yakutia, a multi-purpose nuclear-powered icebreaker commissioned on December 28 to become a New Year’s gift to the company.
“There are already eight vessels in our nuclear icebreaker fleet. By 2030, the icebreaker group on the Northern Sea Route is set to reach 17 vessels. In November, another record for transit was achieved at the NSR. It exceeded three million tons. Now I can confidently say that we have already reached a new maximum and set a new record for the total volume of cargo transported via the NSR this year,” commented Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom Director General.
New icebreakers are necessary to ensure safe navigation on the Northern Sea Route (NSR). Over the last 10 years, the freight traffic on this critical Arctic sea lane has grown by almost an order of magnitude and keeps setting new records every year. The trend persisted in 2024, with freight traffic rising from 36.25 million tonnes in 2023 to almost 37.9 million tonnes in 2024.
Yakutia is the fourth icebreaker of the world’s most powerful Project 22220 series. Icebreakers of this design can travel through ice up to three meters thick. They are powered by two RITM‑200 reactors. It should be recalled that Rosatom plans to install modifications of this reactor at small-capacity offshore and onshore nuclear power plants.
Another three icebreakers are now under construction. One of them, Chukotka, was floated out last November. By tradition, the vessel was ‘baptized’ as a bottle of champagne symbolizing sea foam was smashed against its hull during the float-out ceremony.
“Icebreakers ensure marine traffic in the northern latitudes and deliver cargo to the most inaccessible areas. They are also indispensable for studying the Arctic region,” said Chukotka ‘godmother’ Elena Shmelyova, Head of the Talent and Success educational foundation and Chairwoman of the Board of the Sirius federal territory. She also expressed hope that Arctic research would remain a strategic priority for Russia’s scientific and technological development.
The other two icebreakers under construction are Leningrad (Project 22220) being built at the Baltic Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, and Lider (Project 10510), a flagship nuclear icebreaker being built at the Zvezda Shipyard in Russia’s Far East. Stalingrad, the sixth Project 22220 icebreaker, is scheduled to be laid down in 2025.
“I am sure that demand for nuclear icebreakers will but grow year after year. The Northern Sea Route is becoming an international shipping lane. We are demonstrating to the world that this is a sea route that remains reliable even in difficult ice conditions. I keep saying that this Arctic sea lane is a Russian way to India. If we want to maintain a foothold in the Asia Pacific, such a route is indispensable for Russia to achieve its ambitious economic and political goals,” said Rosatom Deputy Director General and NSR Director Vyacheslav Ruksha in an interview with the Strana Rosatom newspaper.
Tourist interest
The specialness of nuclear icebreakers and places where they travel invariably secures enduring interest from Russian and international tourists. The world’s first nuclear-powered icebreaker Lenin, which is now a museum, has long become one of the key attractions of Murmansk (the city where the nuclear fleet is based). The icebreaker serves as the Arctic Exhibition Center.
Lenin was commissioned on December 3, 1959, the date to which Atomflot traces its history. In celebration of its birthday in 2024, the icebreaker’s hull was decorated with illumination, green flashes of the Aurora Borealis on the boards and Russian flag colors on the superstructure.
Cruises to the North Pole are also of great interest to tourists. Since 2008, they have been operated by the nuclear-powered 50 Let Pobedy icebreaker. Five such cruises were made in 2024. One of them was organized as part of Rosatom’s Icebreaker of Knowledge project. Talented schoolchildren from 15 countries visited the North Pole. “I am pleased that our icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy has opened the Arctic to children since 2019. The project has become international. It is important for us to show young people from friendly countries the capabilities of nuclear-powered icebreakers and the beauty of the Arctic,” Vyacheslav Ruksha said.
NSR freight traffic:
2024 — 37.9 mmt
2023 — 36.25 mmt
