MURMANSK, November 24. /TASS/. The Arktika nuclear-powered icebreaker, which was commissioned on October 21, escorted the first vessel along the Northern Sea Route, the press service of the nuclear icebreaker fleet operator, Atomflot, said on Tuesday.
"On November 24, the Arktika nuclear-powered icebreaker escorted the Siyaniye Severa dry cargo ship in the Sabetta port," the press service said. It was the first task in high-latitude areas in the icebreaker’s service life. "On November 24, at the entrance to Ob Bay, the icebreaker began escorting the Siyaniye Severa. The caravan’s average speed was 10-12 knots."
According to the press service, on November 14, the icebreaker left Murmansk and on November 16 in Kola Bay it underwent upgrade unrelated to the power unit. Later, the icebreaker left for the Northern Sea Route to escort vessels there.
"The Arktika icebreaker’s voyage to Ob Bay has shown the icebreaker’s efficiency at sea," the press service quoted Atomflot’s Deputy Director General Leonid Irlitsa as saying.
According to the official, during the first voyage "the crew can assess the icebreaker's potential and get used to the vessel."
The Arktika icebreaker will return to Murmansk in mid-December and after replenishing its supplies it will sail back to the Northern Sea Route, Atomflot said.