Russia’s dream to dominate the Arctic will soon get a boost with a nuclear-powered icebreaker designed to navigate both shallow rivers and the freezing depths of the Northern Sea. Last month Rosatomflot, Russia’s atomic fleet, inked a deal to begin construction of a massive new vessel 170 meters long and 34 meters wide. That is 14 meters longer and four meters wider than any of Russia’s other nuclear vessels.

Powered by two “RITM-200” compact pressurized water reactors generating 60MWe, the new model is designed to blast through ice more than 4 meters thick and tow tankers of up to 70,000 tons displacement through Arctic ice fields. Rosatomflot says the vessel would have liquid ballasts allowing it to alter its draught (the depth of the loaded vessel in the water) between 8.5 to 10.8 meters, allowing it to access both Siberian rivers that reach deep into Russia as well as the Northern Sea.

Why the effort and cost? “Climate change is a pivotal factor in accelerating Russia’s interest in icebreakers,” says Charles Ebinger, a Brookings Institute energy expert who has advised over 50 governments on restructuring their state-owned energy sectors. “With climate change we are seeing a major change in the Northern Sea Route, which is a transport route along Russia’s northern coast from Europe to Asia. Just in the last few years, with less and less permanent sea ice, maritime traffic across the Russian Arctic has risen exponentially.”

The expectation is that the melt will continue, but there are still sections of route that would require icebreakers to keep it open year round. The icebreakers are also crucial for collecting data on Russia’s continental shelf borders, needed to stake a claim to exclusive economic rights along vast tracts of the Arctic and fend off other claimants like the US, Canada, Norway, and Denmark and Iceland.

The Russians are more comitted to projecting thier dominance over our arctic than we are.

Fixed that for you.

Fixed that for you.

My calls for Canada to reinvest in her shipyards doesn't seem so crazy now, does it? And you are spot-on right that the Russians will claim your Arctic for the simple reason that the Russians see China claiming other nations' territory and getting away with it so why shouldn't they?

My calls for Canada to reinvest in her shipyards doesn't seem so crazy now, does it? And you are spot-on right that the Russians will claim your Arctic for the simple reason that the Russians see China claiming other nations' territory and getting away with it so why shouldn't they?

Your calls were to buy used Virginia class subs...which still are crazy.

Let's get real... anybody know if there exists a country that has about our population building fighter jets and nuclear submarines?

I'm not saying fighters or nuke subs but we could build frigates or destroyers.

Most countries with our population also occupy the land area of Newfoundland. Or less. They don't need Frigates, Destroyers, Interceptors or Arctic patrol craft.

I think we could do all those things ourselves, if we had the will.

Most countries with our population also occupy the land area of Newfoundland. Or less. They don't need Frigates, Destroyers, Interceptors or Arctic patrol craft.

I think we could do all those things ourselves, if we had the will and the money.