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SubscribeHow nuclear icebreakers work - and the reversible ships that will replace them
Russia's NS 50 Let Pobedy, the world's biggest icebreaker
Russia's NS 50 Let Pobedy, the world's biggest icebreaker (Photo: Anton Chmelev from St.-Petersburg, Russia)
MT Tempera, one of the new class of double acting reversible ships, going ahead in open water
A double acting ship in reverse, propeller facing to the rear and breaking ice
A double acting ship in forward running configuration
MT Tempera, one of the new class of double acting reversible ships, going backwards to act as an icebreaker
Yamal, a nuclear icebreaker, in action
A diesel powered icebreaker leads a container ship through sea ice
Russia's NS 50 Let Pobedy, the world's biggest icebreaker (Photo: Dmitryi Kascheev)
Russia's NS 50 Let Pobedy, the world's biggest icebreaker
A satellite photo showing Scandinavia and northern Russia, and the encroachment of sea ice during winter (Image: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC)
The arctic circle, viewed from above the North pole
Northern Russia and the Berents sea (Photo: Shutterstock)
Icebreaker in action (Photo: Shutterstock)
Icebreaker in action (Photo: Shutterstock)
Icebreaker in action (Photo: Shutterstock)
Icebreaker in action (Photo: Shutterstock)
Icebreaker in action (Photo: Shutterstock)
MT Tempera, one of the new class of double acting reversible ships, going backwards to act as an icebreaker
MT Tempera, one of the new class of double acting reversible ships, going backwards to act as an icebreaker
Azipod rotating thrusters, fitted to a ship under construction
Azipod rotating thruster, fitted to a ship under construction
The Arctic North end of Russia is believed to hold as much as a quarter of all the world's oil deposits - an utterly monstrous economic prize, hidden in one of the toughest and least hospitable environments on the planet. Getting to this prize, and then transporting it back to refineries, is a monolithic task that requires one of the most awe-inspiring pieces of machinery man has ever built - the nuclear icebreaker. Purpose-built to the point of being almost unseaworthy on the open waves, these goliaths smash their way through 10-foot thick ice crusts to create viable pathways for other vessels - but fascinating new technologies could mean the days of the dedicated icebreaker are numbered.
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