Andrey Abramov, deputy director for special production and development of Atomflot FSUE

– By giving Atomflot to Rosatom we will get a normally functioning company

In the last years “Atomflot” Federal State Unitary Enterprise has been abandoned by its managing structures, particularly, by the Ministry of Transport. We also have problems with the organization empowered by the state to operate Russia’s nuclear icebreakers on the Northern Sea Route, “Murmansk Sea Company” OJSC.

The possibility of reunification of the nuclear icebreaker fleet and our company has been considered since 2000. There have been different scenarios. One of the latest scenarios says that the nuclear icebreaker fleet should be given to our company and our company should be given to Rosatom. We very much hope that this scenario will be approved. We do not seek large-scale control and in no way reject the experience of “Murmansk Sea Company.”

One of the key problems that we are trying to solve is the problem of postponed decisions concerning the accumulation of a big amount of radioactive waste and the aging of key assets. It is not a secret that today we are gradually decommissioning our floating facilities. Particularly, we are shortly planning to decommission “Lepse” floating factory (this project will receive international financing), then, «Volodarsky” floating factory (this facility has been placed in our territory and contains a big amount of radioactive waste), then, some of our icebreakers. Our company was set up exactly for maintaining and decommissioning nuclear icebreakers. We have relevant experience and specialists. That’s why we believe that we should reunify.
  
There is one more problem: our nuclear icebreakers are managed by a private company and are used not very effectively. One should not forget that in the nuclear industry business should not prevail over operation and safety. The policy of “postponed decisions” applied by “Murmansk Sea Company” in operating the nuclear icebreakers may result in much bigger expenses on their decommissioning. I mean that not all the decisions that company adopts are correct if viewed in complex.

The federal target program for nuclear and radiation safety has proved Rosatom’s efficiency in solving the key problems of the industry. It was due to Rosatom’s support that we have managed to get financing for many of our problems. They have wise and far-seeing specialists, something, neither the Federal Sea and River Transport Agency nor the Ministry of Transport have. In its time the Ministry of Transport had a special department on nuclear fleet but today they have no more experts on icebreakers.
 
It is obvious that further delay may result in tragic consequences. By giving the fleet to Rosatom we will get a normally functioning company, a structure that will be able to solve the accumulated problems and will effective operate the nuclear icebreakers in the interests of the state.