The Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet is seeing a revival, which is vital for operating along the Northern Sea Route and developing the Arctic, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was reported by RIA Novosti as saying while delivering a report on the government's results in the State Duma.

"Overall, we can talk about the revival of our nuclear icebreaker fleet, the only one in the world. This is important for the viability of the Northern Sea Route and for developing the Arctic," Medvedev said.

The Prime Minister noted that Russian shipyards have completed six new combat vessels over the last years, two submarines and four surface vessels. The civil fleet has gained the Polaris icebreaker, which can be powered by diesel and by also by LNG, and the Novorossiysk icebreaker, the third in a series of the most powerful class of diesel-electric icebreakers.

"The development of an atomic lead icebreaker with a capacity of 120 MW is underway," Medvedev said. "The world's most powerful all-purpose next-generation atomic icebreaker Arktika and non-nuclear Alexander Sannikov and Viktor Chernomyrdin icebreakers were launched as well." 

The Polaris, an Aker ARC 130 Icebreaking Support Vessel, was built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Inc., a subsidiary of Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation, in 2016 for the Finnish Transport Agency. It was transferred to the client that same year.