Setback for North Pole tourism
Because of the increased traffic along the Northern Sea Route, tourist trips in the Arctic on Russian nuclear icebreakers might be cancelled from 2012.
- If the transit traffic [along NSR] is going to rise, we might have to give up cruises in the Arctic on nuclear-powered icebreakers from next year, says Director for Fleet Operations in Atomflot Andrey Smirnov.
If the traffic along the Northern Sea Route is going to increase as much as Russian authorities wish, there will simply not be enough nuclear-powered icebreakers to operate the cruise business.
According to Smirnov tourist cruises in the Arctic are only profitable if there are no less than two-three cruises per season: - One single cruise does not pay off. If we have two-three cruises, we work with a profit, RIA Novosti reports.
Cargo transport through the Northern Sea Route is expected to skyrocket in course of the next decade. Russia’s Ministry of Transport believes cargo transport through NSR will increase from last year’s 1.8 million tons to 64 million tons by 2020, as BarentsObserver reported.
According to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Russia plans to spend RUB 20 billion for the construction of a new nuclear-powered icebreaker in the near future. Funds have also been allocated for the construction of three shallow-draft diesel-powered icebreakers which, because they are part of a newer and more advanced class, will be able to replace five old vessels.
Read also: Putin sees bright future for Arctic transport
Russian icebreakers have been transporting tourists to the North Pole for 20 years. The agency selling trips to the North Pole has already scheduled a trip with the largest of the Murmansk-based icebreakers, 50 Years of Victory, for the summer of 2012.
