World's biggest nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika completes test run
Russia's nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika returned to Saint Petersburg on Saturday after a two-day test run. The vessel is touted as the strongest of its kind and a symbol of Moscow's ambition to tap the Arctic's commercial potential .
The run tested the vessel's functioning and maneuverability, said Mustafa Kashka, general director of Atomflot, the company which runs Russia's icebreaking fleet. Inaugurated in 2016, it is part of a planned fleet aimed at significantly boosting freight traffic along Russia's Arctic coast which links the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans all year long. However, the nuclear-propelled vessel was fueled by diesel oil on its maiden voyage.
Arktika, ordered by state nuclear company Rosatom and meant to transport liquefied natural gas from the Arctic, is 173 meters long and 15 meters high.
The Arctic holds huge oil and natural-gas reserves that are being eyed by Russia and other countries, including the United States, Canada, and Norway.
The plan will also make it easier for Russia to deliver hydrocarbons to Southeast Asia.
Maritime Business World
YORUM KAT