”Taimyr” to replace ”Vaigach” on Northern Sea Route
Russia’s nuclear icebreaker “Vaigach” will dock in Murmansk on January 20 for repairs after the fatal fire in the Arctic in December 2011.
Another nuclear icebreaker, “Taimyr”, is now preparing to replace “Vaigach” on the Northern Sea Route and will leave Atomflot’s base in Murmansk after repairs next week, RIA Novosti writes.
Two crew members were killed and one other wounded when a fire broke out in one of the living compartments onboard “Vaigach” on December 15 2011. There were no indications of radioactive leakage after the accident and the icebreaker continued to work on the Northern Sea Route after the incident.
Repairs are planned to take about one month, after which the icebreaker will go to the Port of Sabetta on the Yamal Peninsula.
“Taimyr” was also involved in an accident last year. The single-reactor icebreaker got a leakage of cooling water from one of the pipes in the reactor compartment while she was operating north of Dudinka in the Yenisei River on May 3.
A third nuclear icebreaker, “50 Years of Victory” is preparing to go to the Gulf of Finland later this month to assist vessels going to and from St. Petersburg. The icebreaker is both the newest and largest of Russia’s fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. “50 Years of Victory” was put into service in 2007.
