Russia launches new nuclear-powered icebreaker in bid to open up Arctic
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The ship, dubbed the Ural and which was floated out from a dockyard in St Petersburg, is one of a trio that when completed will be the largest and most powerful icebreakers in the world.
Russia is building new infrastructure and overhauling its ports as, amid warmer climate cycles, it readies for more traffic via what it calls the Northern Sea Route (NSR) which it envisages being navigable year-round.
The Ural is due to be handed over to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom in 2022 after the two other icebreakers in the same series, Arktika (Arctic) and Sibir (Siberia), enter service.
President Vladimir Putin said in April Russia was stepping up construction of icebreakers with the aim of significantly boosting freight traffic along its Arctic coast.
The drive is part of a push to strengthen Moscow’s hand in the High North as it vies for dominance with traditional rivals Canada, the US and Norway, as well as newcomer China.
By 2035, Putin said Russia’s Arctic fleet would operate at least 13 heavy-duty icebreakers, nine of which would be powered by nuclear reactors.
The Arctic holds oil and gas reserves equivalent to 412 billion barrels of oil, about 22% of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas, the US Geological Survey estimates.
Moscow hopes the route which runs from Murmansk to the Bering Strait near Alaska could take off as it cuts sea transport times from Asia to Europe.
Designed to be crewed by 75 people, the Ural will be able to slice through ice up to three metres thick.
Initial image: Float out ceremony of the nuclear-powered icebreaker Ural at the Baltic Shipyard in St Petersburg. Anton Vaganov/Reuters
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Global heating is a hoax!
I'll say it is.
When and where have we had "warmer climate cycles" lately?
This last winter was long, chilly, and wetter than normal. Still getting snow in Denver only a week or so ago.
How do you define a warm climate cycle? Does it happen all over the planet or just in selected spots like urban heat islands.
What are the parameters and specifics of the warm cycles.
Are the effects of ENSO, MJO, and Rossby Waves and all the other repeating patterns factored in.
I can't understand why supposedly educated and intelligent people accept the myth of climate change without question.
Why deploy a bigger, more powerful, ice breaker meant to break channels through thicker ice when (as claimed) there won't be any ice in the Arctic Ocean in a few years anyways?
Do you have grandchildren? I do.
You (plural) are killing them.
Kids of my own, no. But I was a stepfather, which was no easy task. I refuse to get all excited about something I didn't cause and can't do anything about.
Having and kids and grandchildren is stupid in this day and age. And collective shaming and blaming everyone for not getting all worried about the myth of climate change is just passing the buck and is ineffective.
According to the scientists, it's too late to do anything about it, "we" are past the tipping point. We're all doomed to a oven like nightmare in just a few years. Thankfully I will not be here.
But, if everyone is in the mood for a little more scaremongering, here goes.....
Wait, there's more!!!
It's really gonna get AWFUL , I tell ya!!!