Russian Firms to Build World’s Most Powerful Nuclear Icebreaker

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  • Russian Firms to Build World’s Most Powerful Nuclear Icebreaker - The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/04/23/world/europe/23reuters-russia-icebreaker.html

    Two Russian companies signed a deal on Thursday to build the world’s most powerful nuclear icebreaker to help boost trade on a northern sea route crucial to forging closer links with Asia.

    Atomflot, a subsidiary of Russian nuclear group #Rosatom, and the Zvezda shipyard, owned by a consortium led by oil giant #Rosneft, said they would work together to build the Lider (Leader) icebreaker.

    President Vladimir Putin has said that Arctic shipping routes along Russia’s northern coast could rival the Suez Canal as a short-cut trade route between Europe and Asia.

    Rosatom said the icebreaker, fitted with a nuclear power unit, would be able to smash through ice as thick as 4 metres. The vessel, with the propulsion power of 120 megawatts, is scheduled to be constructed in 2027.