SOCHI, October 9. /TASS/. Construction of the environment protection fleet amounting to 3.1 bln rubles ($53.1 mln) after 2021 is included into the Arctic socioeconomic development program, Russian Minister of Natural Resources said on Monday.

"Construction of the environment protection fleet for Rosprirodnadzor [Russian natural resources usage watchdog - TASS] in support of environment protection supervision on seas and on the continental shelf with funding amounting to 3.1 bln rubles ($53.1 mln) from 2021 was included into the state program on Arctic socioeconomic development," Donskoi said.

Such fleet will increase safety of marine operations and will make possible to considerably mitigate potential environmental risks for marine ecosystems, the minister said.

Transition to vessels operating on liquefied natural gas or Green Shipping is another method of mitigating environmental risks, Donskoi said. The proposal is to start from the Northern Sea Route, he added.

"Construction of icebreakers using LNG as fuel has already started at present. Polaris, the first vessel of this type, was built at Finland’s Arctech shipyard owned by Russian United Shipbuilding Corporation," the minister said.