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Arktika icebreaker leaves for first Northern Sea Route voyage

It will take about 20 days

MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. The Arktika lead nuclear icebreaker of project 22220 (Rosatom’s Atomflot fleet) left for the first voyage in waters of the Northern Sea Route. The eastbound voyage from the Kara Sea into the East Siberian Sea will be about 20 days long, Rosatom’s press service said on Monday.

At the western ice edge in the Kara Sea the icebreaker has joined a caravan of four vessels: the Yuri Arshenevsky, the Polar King, the Inzhener Trubin, and the Kapitan Dranitsyn diesel icebreaker. The Arktika icebreaker leads the caravan, heading for the Pevek port (Chukotka). The ships carry cargo for companies, working in the Chukotka Region.

"This eastbound leading of the caravan will be the first for the Arktika lead universal nuclear-powered icebreaker," Atomflot’s Director General Mustafa Kashka said. "Specialists will analyze the voyage’s results to use them during the planned year-round navigation."

The fleet jointly with the Ministry for Development of the Far East and Arctic eye a second voyage, which will be related to commissioning of the Sibir nuclear-powered icebreaker. Presently, Rosatom’s all nuclear-powered icebreakers have been contracted, the press service added.

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