Atomflot icebreaker to take tourists to the North Pole
© RIA Novosti. Mikhail Fomichev

Atomflot icebreaker to take tourists to the North Pole

In 2015, the nuclear icebreaker 50th Anniversary of Victory serving with the Rosatom Corporation's Atomflot will carry tourists to the North Pole seven times, Atomflot Director Vyacheslav Ruksha told journalists, RIA Novosti reports.

"Each cruise is filled almost to capacity for the first time in history," Mr. Ruksha said, noting that tourists, primarily foreigners, remained interested in North Pole excursions.

The above icebreaker was chosen because it can accommodate up to 120 tourists on each voyage.

In 1990, the company started carrying tourists to the North Pole after nuclear icebreakers were okayed for this purpose. The program involved the icebreakers Rossiya, Sovetsky Soyuz and the Yamal. Since entering service in 2007, the 50th Anniversary of Victory has been the only ship carrying tourists to the North Pole.

Arctic cruises are becoming more popular, especially with Asian and European citizens. The icebreaker sails through the Franz Josef Land archipelago enroute to the North Pole, where passengers can see documented bird colonies and marine animal breeding grounds. Four to five cruises lasting up to ten days are organized each year.