OREANDA-NEWS. June 10, 2008.  In 2009 Russia is planning to design nuclear icebreaker of new generation, Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko said during a meeting with captains and chief mechanics of nuclear icebreakers.

He said that the task of the new manager of Atomflot Vyacheslav Ruksha was to make necessary preparations for this project. Kiriyenko appointed Ruksha as director general of Atomflot on Friday.

“Our key task for the moment is to reach agreements with major cargo carriers so as to determine the model of Atomflot’s financial support,” Kiriyenko said.

He said that the government should make changes to the existing legislation so as to stop the practice of free of charge use of nuclear icebreakers along the Northern Sea Route.

The tariff for this service should consist of two components: direct payment for transportation of cargoes and fee for infrastructure service of the state – opportunity to use the Northern Sea Route.

All the nuclear icebreakers of Murmansk Shipping Company should be transferred to the Territorial Department for Murmansk region of Rosimuschestvo till Aug 27 2008 and afterwards to Atomflot FSUE. In its turn, Atomflot will be given to Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation.

Kiriyenko said that this year the government will allocate additional money for the development of nuclear icebreaker fleet.

“We did almost impossible thing: we changed the budget in the middle of the year. The budget earmarks 800mln RUR in 2008 with 400mln RUR to be allocated in July. Rosatom will have to substantiate the finding. Part of this money will be spent on raise in wages,” Kiriyenko said.

According to the program of the Transport Ministry, by 2015 the cargo turnover of the nuclear icebreaker fleet of Russia may grow eightfold to 16mln tons.

In late Aug 2008 Atomflot FSUE will be given control over all the nuclear icebreakers of Russia: Lenin (1959), Arktika (1975), Siberia (1978), Russia (1985), Taymyr (1988), Soviet Union (1988), Vaygach (1990), Yamal (1992) and 50 Years Since Victory (2007).