Putin remotely unveils nuclear icebreaker "Chukotka
The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, announced via video conference the launch of the nuclear icebreaker "Chukotka." "I allow you to proceed!" Putin said, as quoted by the government agency RIA Novosti.
The launch ceremony took place at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. RIA Novosti emphasised that the entire event was conducted with the remote participation of Vladimir Putin. The leader authorised the initiation of the procedure and gave the command "amid fanfare and thunderous applause".
Putin mentioned that the Russian fleet includes 34 icebreakers, of which seven are nuclear-powered. The icebreakers "Yakutia", "Leningrad" and "Stalingrad" are also expected to be commissioned soon, although the latter was originally intended to be named "Kamchatka".
– The initiative is important for preserving the memory of the courage of the defenders of Stalingrad during the Great Patriotic War, – said the governor of Volgograd, Andrei Bochkarev, as quoted by the portal gospodarkamorska.pl. It was Bochkarev who appealed to Putin to change the icebreaker's name to honour the victims of the siege of Stalingrad during World War II when about 1.9 million people died.
Over 170 metres in length
Russian media emphasise that the keel for the construction of the icebreaker was laid in December 2020. Previously, the icebreaker "Siberia" was commissioned, which is equipped with two RITM-200 nuclear reactors with a capacity of 175 MW each, according to the portal nuclear.pl. "Chukotka" is a sister project of "Siberia".
"The hull, measuring 173 metres in length and 34 metres in width, has the ability to crush ice up to 3 metres thick" - emphasises nuclear.pl.
