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World’s largest icebreaker marks Russia’s 100th voyage to North Pole

The Soviet-built Arktika nuclear-powered icebreaker became the first surface vessel in history to reach the North Pole on August 17, 1977

© ITAR-TASS/Sergey Smolsky

MURMANSK, August 17. /TASS/. The world's largest nuclear-powered icebreaker, '50 let Pobedy', has reached the North Pole marking Russia’s 100th voyage to the top of the world, a spokesperson for the Russian Atomic Fleet (Rosatomflot) said on Monday.

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The icebreaker carrying tourists departed from the port of Murmansk in August 11, she said.

"The icebreaker’s journey to the [North] pole took 99 hours," the spokesperson said adding that the vessel would return to homeport on August 22.

The Soviet-built Arktika nuclear-powered icebreaker became the first surface vessel in history to reach the North Pole on August 17, 1977.

In all, surface ships reached the North Pole for 118 times.

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Russia's nuclear icebreaker fleet

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