Bellona nuclear digest. July 2024
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
News
Publish date: December 10, 1998
Written by: Thomas Nilsen
News
Sovietsky Soyuz broke through the thick ice on Wednesday, after having been stuck since Monday this week. The icebreaker made its way free from the extraordinary thick ice without any assistance, according to Reuters.
The icebreaker has already moved 34 kilometres to the west, since it got free yesterday. The problem was the 15-20 meter thick ice 180 kilometres west of the Arctic port of Pevek in eastern Siberia.
Sovietsky Soyuz is one of the only three nuclear powered icebreakers still in operation this autumn. Murmansk Shipping Company has eight nuclear powered icebreakers, but the rest of them are laid up in Murmansk, due to the present economic problems. The shipping company’s regular customers cannot afford to pay the costs of using the nuclear powered icebreakers, and Murmansk Shipping Company officials say they cannot operate free of charge.
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
Transport on the Northern Sea Route is not sustainable, and Kirkenes must not become a potential hub for transport along the Siberian coast. Bellona believes this is an important message Norway should deliver in connection with the Prime Minister's visit to China. In an open letter to Jonas Gahr Støre, Bellona asks the Prime Minister to make it clear that the Chinese must stop shipping traffic through the Northeast Passage.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has published a new report on its efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security during the conflict in Ukraine, with the agency’s director-general warning that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station remains “precarious and very fragile.”
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.