It was named “Leningrad” by Vladimir Putin, the Soviet name for Saint Petersburg, “a new tribute” to the “courage” of the inhabitants of the former imperial capital in the face of Nazism. The Russian president gave the green light this Friday, January 26, for the construction of a new nuclear icebreaker, the fifth in Moscow’s fleet, crucial for the polar ambitions of Russia, which wants to make the waters of the Arctic an essential trade route to Asia.
“It will have to operate on the Northern Sea Route, participate in the most important exploration and research programs in the Arctic and ensure the delivery of goods,” Vladimir Putin said in a speech at the shipyards of the Baltic, in Saint Petersburg.
Its future deployment should help Moscow ensure its supremacy in the Arctic, for what should become one of the main geopolitical challenges in the years to come. Russia is indeed confronted in the region with the ambitions of other powers, notably China, but also its Western rivals including the United States. This new nuclear-powered ship built by the atomic giant Rosatom, more than 170 meters long, will be able to break ice up to three meters deep.
Essential for the export of hydrocarbons
Since the outbreak of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has had to redirect its hydrocarbon deliveries to Asia, vital for its economy hit by Western sanctions, with the European market being almost completely closed to it. Hence the urgent need to increase and modernize its fleet of nuclear icebreakers, which make it possible to pave the way for oil tankers and other LNG carriers transporting hydrocarbons extracted mainly in Siberia.
To develop trade via the frozen waters of the Arctic, the Russian authorities are finally counting on the “Northern Sea Route”, a route made more navigable due to the melting of the ice caused by climate change. On Friday, the boss of Rosatom, Alexeï Likhatchiov, indicated that 36 million tonnes of goods had transited via this maritime route in 2023, “a record”.
Russia, the only country in the world to have a fleet of nuclear icebreakers, has inaugurated three new ships in recent years and a gigantic boat, more than 200 meters long, is due to see the light of day in 2027.