Nuclear icebreakers

A nuclear-powered icebreaker is an icebreaker with an onboard nuclear power plant that produces power for the vessel's propulsion system. Although more expensive to operate, nuclear-powered icebreakers provide a number of advantages over their diesel-powered counterparts, especially along the Northern Sea Route where diesel-powered icebreaker operations are challenging due to the heavy power demand associated with icebreaking, limited refueling infrastructure along the Siberian coast, and the endurance required. As of 2025, Russia is the only country that builds and operates nuclear-powered icebreakers, having built a number of such vessels to aid shipping along the Northern Sea Route and Russian arctic outposts since the Soviet era.