Russia and China are in a race to build the world's largest icebreakers to open up the Arctic to commercial exploitation. For now, Russia is winning the race.
Russia this week launched the nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika" - the world largest - on her maiden voyage from Saint Petersburg to Murmansk. There the Arktika will adjust her electric propulsion system to suit the icy waters.
She is the lead ship of Project 22220 icebreakers. Russia plans to build at least five of these - which will become the largest and most powerful icebreakers. President Vladimir Putin wants Russia to operate 13 heavy-duty icebreakers - most of them nuclear powered.
Arktika displaces 34,000 metric tons, has a length of 173 meters and a beam of 34 meters. She has a complement of 75 persons.
She is designed to break ice 2.8 meters (9 feet) thick at a continuous speed of 1.5 to 2 knots (2.8 to 3.7 kilometers an hour) at full power when operating in deep water at design draught. It is powered by a nuclear-turbo-electric engine driving three shafts.
Arktika is central to Russia's efforts to develop a clear path for freight traffic along the northern sea route from Murmansk to the Bering Strait near Alaska. Russia wants the route to become a regular commercial transport link between Asia and Europe.
The Arctic has oil and gas reserves equivalent to 412 billion barrels of oil, or 22% of the world's undiscovered oil and gas.
China has Arctic ambitions similar to Russia and its new icebreakers are just as powerful. In December, China revealed technical specifications for its new "Polar Class 2" icebreakers similar in size and capability to the larger Arktika-class.
This conventionally powered icebreaker will be able to ice three meters-thick continuously at 2 knots. It will displace 26,000 metric tons.
The lead ship of the Polar Class 2 will be larger than China's first home built icebreaker, the Xue Long 2 launched in 2018. Polar Class 2 will feature dual-directional icebreaking capabilities and will have hangars for two helicopters. It will have 180 crew and passengers.
China has two medium-sized icebreakers: Xue Long 1 (Snow Dragon) and Xue Long 2. The latter is China's first domestically built icebreaker. Xue Long 1 was built in Ukraine in 1993.