The agreement laying the foundations of this alliance was signed at an economic forum in Vladivostok (Far East).

“We already have a successful experience working with Rosatom, whose icebreakers assist the LNG carriers of our Yamal LNG project,” said Novatek CEO Leonid Mikhelson. This giant LNG project was launched with French Total in December on the Yamal Peninsula, 600 km north of the Arctic Circle.

The agreement will contribute to “the growth of freight traffic along the northern shipping route, which is very important for our group and the Russian economy," said Mikhelson.

Russia relies heavily on the development of traffic through the Northeast Passage, a short-sea route made accessible by global warming.

This route, which runs along the northern coast of Siberia, allows ships to earn up to 15 days over the conventional route through the Suez Canal.

According to Lev Feodosev, commercial director of Novatek, the new fleet will have up to four icebreakers. Feodosev added, “Although they are less autonomous than nuclear-powered icebreakers, they can be used in the Kara Sea, in the port infrastructure and in the Sabetta port canal”, in Yamal.

Novatek plans to start building a new giant project in the Far North, Arctic-2, on the Gydan Peninsula in the Kara Sea in 2022-23.