A
nuclear-powered icebreaker is a
nuclear-powered ship purpose-built for use in waters covered with
ice. The only country constructing
nuclear-powered icebreakers is Russia.
Nuclear-powered icebreakers have been constructed by the
USSR and later
Russia primarily to aid
shipping along the
Northern Sea Route in the frozen
Arctic waterways north of
Siberia. Nuclear-powered icebreakers are much more powerful than their
diesel-powered counterparts, and although nuclear propulsion is expensive to install and maintain, very heavy fuel demands and limitations on range can make diesel vessels less practical and economical overall for these ice-breaking duties.