BUSINESS

Russia’s Sovetsky Soyuz atomic powered ice breaker is to undergo a major 1-billion-ruble overhaul, with the repairs planned to be completed by 2014.

The ice breaker has been dry docked for four years. The Sovetsky Soyuz ice breaker will be needed as one of Russia’s front line atomic icebreakers, the Rossiya, will soon run out of fuel and will need to be refueled and repaired.

Rossiya to stay till 2014

"Fuel for the Rossiya icebreaker will suffice till 2014 at the latest, perhaps only until 2013,” RIA Novosti quoted Andrei Smirnov, deputy general director of Rosatomflot, which operates the atomic fleet, as saying on Monday. “It will need to be refueled. And so next year we will begin to restore the Sovetsky Soyuz so that it will be ready to enter into operation when the Rossiya is docked for lengthy repairs and refueling."

"We are maintaining the current atomic icebreaker fleet in good working order, but, unfortunately, almost all the icebreakers have passed the 100,000 hour lifespan -- we have extended it up to 150,000,” said Smirnov. “The shallow-draft ice breakers will be extended up to 200,000 hours because Yenisei and Ob rivers can only be cleared by icebreakers with a shallow draft.”

Rossiya is a strong lady
Smirnov said that despite passing its planned lifespan, the Rossiya will continue to sail as "she is a strong lady." In one month’s time it will receive some small repairs, and then sail the Northern Sea Route. It will later be sent to the Taimyr dry docks for more major repairs.

Smirnov said that before the end of the 2011 navigation season it was possible that several heavy tonnage ships would need assistance so the Rossiya would need to stay in service. He added that sub-zero temperatures had already arrived in the eastern region of the Northern Sea route so the icebreaker’s help was needed every day more and more.