The Telegraph: Russia shows great technological and operational superiority in nuclear detergents compared to Western countries
The Telegraph newspaper reported that Russia is showing great technological and operational superiority in the field of nuclear icebreakers compared to Western countries.
Former British naval officer Tom Sharp said Russia had the only such nuclear fleet in the world, and the simultaneous deployment of all eight of its nuclear sweepers this year reflects its determination to secure vital shipping lanes in the Arctic, which transport oil and liquefied gas from Siberia to support the economy.
Countries such as Finland, Canada, and Sweden rely on conventional icebreakers, the United States lacks sufficient capabilities (only two old ones), and China builds a non-nuclear fleet.
Russia has developed a powerful nuclear fleet that can operate year-round in the harshest conditions, ensuring the flow of energy and promoting the use of the North Sea Route as a strategic alternative.
This superiority not only reflects Russia’s technological advancement, but also underscores the strategic importance of the Arctic to Moscow economically and militarily, while the West is lagging behind in this vital field.
The Northern Shipping Corridor is one of the most important strategic maritime routes in the world, stretching along the northern coast of Russia from the Barents Sea in the west to the Bering Strait in the east, with a total length of about 5,600 kilometers.
This passage is drawn through six polar seas: Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberia, Chukchi and Bering.
The strategic importance of this corridor lies in the fact that it shortens the distance between Europe and Asia by up to 40% compared to traditional routes such as the Suez Canal, reducing the journey time from 30 to 18 days.
It’s also characterized by the absence of risks such as maritime piracy and the absence of mandatory transit fees.
Moscow attaches great importance to the development of the Northern Shipping Corridor, as Russia’s Rosatom Energy and Nuclear Industry Corporation continues to manufacture an additional number of new-generation nuclear icebreakers, as it has the largest fleet of its kind in the world.
