Icebreakers

Using the Northern Sea Route shaves about 25 percent off the distance via the Suez Canal between Rotterdam and Hong Kong. Russian icebreakers can charge some fraction of this difference to escort cargo ships through the ice. In 2014 the Northern Sea Route moved 274,000 tons of cargo, while the Suez Canal for the same year moved 822.3 million tons in 2014.

Initially, reactors on surface ships were designed for a total lifetime of 25,000 hours. By 2015 the reactor on the icebreaker "Arctika“ operated 150,000 hours. Research is ongoing to extend the lifetime to 175-200,000 hours for both the vessel and the nuclear reactors. The weakest element: the steam generators - in 2002, 17 out of 29 incidents were related to leaks in the steam generator. By 2015 plans included construction a series of icebreaker LK-25 diesel. Such vessels should provide support for atomic icebreakers monitoring of large caravans, working in the mouths of rivers inaccessible even for two quiet ships. These icebreakers diesel can be used in the White and Baltic seas where in winter time also forms the icing. And finally, to work in ports if you want to use the small LK-18 ships and two LK-16. These icebreakers diesel may be used for cleaning jobs in ports from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean. The four icebreakers construction contracts with the ability to 25Mvt, 18 Mvt 16Mvt and two, respectively, in the total amount of 20.4 million rubles were signed on December 2, 2011 between the Corporation and the company Shipbuilding Rosmorflot. The two icebreakers with 16Mvt capacity will be built in Vyborg company, while LK-18 and LK-25 - the Baltiysky company of St. Petersburg.