Kovalchuk proposed to create a mobile gas pipeline based on a nuclear tanker

Russia may create a mobile gas pipeline in the form of a nuclear tanker for the transportation of liquefied natural gas along the Northern Sea Route (NSR). This was announced on August 22 by Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute Research Center, at a joint meeting of the boards of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.

According to him, such a project will create a new gas supply route, including to the countries of Southeast Asia. Kovalchuk noted that the idea involves the creation of a vessel with a nuclear power plant capable of operating in Arctic conditions.

"In fact, we have a unique way out. There is the Northern Sea Route, and it is possible to make, roughly speaking, a mobile gas pipeline in the form of a nuclear tanker," he said.

Kovalchuk said that a similar concept was being worked out in the early 2000s in cooperation with the Sevmash production association and the Malakhit design bureau. At that time, the possibility of using nuclear submarine technology to create a cargo ship or a gas carrier was considered.

Later, the work was postponed due to the concentration of resources on the development of the nuclear triad, but now, according to the head of the Kurchatov Institute, the project has returned to a new technological level.

He clarified that we are talking about a vessel comparable in volume to Aframax class tankers and equipped with three nuclear power plants. The design should allow it to move underwater, and in shallow water — to rise and, if necessary, overcome the ice cover.

"In general, this is such a story. And the head of Gazprom [Alexey Miller] and I appealed to the president. He gave instructions to the ministry, and after that, things went well," Kovalchuk said.

The President of the Kurchatov Institute added that the first stage of the project development has already been completed.

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On August 19, the head of the Ministry of Regional Development, Alexei Chekunkov, told Izvestia that South Korea and India were interested in navigating the NSR — there would be more regular lines on the route. The Minister added that the predictability, depth of analysis and safety of using the NSR are increasing. This is facilitated by a unified route development plan, the creation of new icebreakers and the expansion of the grouping of Russian space satellites.

The Financial Times newspaper reported on August 10 that the Chinese company Sea Legend has started regular container shipments between China and Europe via the Northern Sea Route. The route between the Chinese port of Ningbo-Zhoushan and the British port of Philixstowe will reduce the delivery time to 20 days. This is about twice as fast as the previous transportation time.