News

Russia`s icebreakers cargo turnover increased 18% in 2005

Publish date: February 16, 2006

Russian icebreakers delivered 1.8 million metric tons of freight last year, 18 percent more than in 2004, and brought supplies to remote regions in Siberia and Russia`s Far East, including 100,000 metric tons of oil products, the shipping company said.

The Murmansk Shipping Company is working intencely on prolongation of the icebreakers reactors’ lifetime up to 30 years. Nuclear icebreaker Arktika has undergone such an overhaul. The same overhaul will be completed at the nuclear icebreaker Rossia, which is back in service in 2007. Another brand new nuclear icebreaker “50 years of Victory” is to enter service in 2006. The Murmansk Sea Shipping company, based at the ice-free Barents Sea port of Murmansk, says it also transferred nearly $5 million to the federal budget in 2004, and more than $6.5 million in 2003, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The company operates total 47 ships, including 8 nuclear icebreakers and one nuclear container ship.