ICEBREAKER ATOMIC FLEET AS A FACTOR OF THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE DEVELOPMENT
The successful development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) implies the creation of a developed transport infrastructure, which should result in a significant increase in cargo turnover along the route. The article discusses the process of forming a modern atomic fleet as the basis for safe navigation, aimed at solving the important problem of further development of the Arctic transport system. In terms of navigation, the NSR is one of the most complicated and dangerous sea routes, which, in addition to its long length, is distinguished by the presence of shallow water areas located far away from the coast, and difficult ice conditions. The task of further increasing the cargo turnover cannot be solved without providing year-round navigation. Due to the harsh climatic conditions in the Arctic latitudes, year-round navigation is not feasible without an appropriate icebreaker support. As the atomic icebreaker fleet is already quite outdated today, it is necessary to put new icebreakers into operation. The purpose of the study is to identify problems in terms of raising one of the efficiency indicators of the NSR performance - cargo turnover, provided renovation of the icebreaker fleet as a factor, necessary for solving the tasks of successful functioning of the route. It was concluded that the commissioning of icebreakers is hindered by insufficient funding of the industry, but the main problem lies in the consequences of the crisis in Ukraine in 2014. As a result, the supply chains of shipbuilding were disrupted and sanctions against the Russian Federation were imposed. The situation has been exacerbated by the imposition of new unprecedented sanctions packages since the launch of the special military operation in February 2022. The practical significance of the study is that the conclusions drawn are aimed at the further NSR development. The rapidly changing international situation and the economic situation within the country determine the prospects for further research on the topic.