Russia: Fire on nuclear-powered cargo ship extinguished without threat to reactor safety

Russia stated on Monday that emergency workers have extinguished a fire on a nuclear-powered icebreaker cargo ship dating back to the Soviet era.

The government-owned company operating the ship clarified that there were no injuries and no threat to the reactor's safety.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the fire broke out on Sunday, in one of the compartments of the Soviet-made icebreaker, the Sevmorput, currently moored in the city of Murmansk in northern Russia.

The ministry added that the fire spread across 30 square meters at its peak and was extinguished without any injuries.

The ship's owning company, Atomflot, stated in a release, "The fire was quickly extinguished... there were no injuries."

They further mentioned no threat to the primary support systems or the reactor station.

The company manages the Russian fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers and is a subsidiary of the government-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom.

The Murmansk region in northwest Russia shares borders with Finland and Norway, the Barents Sea, and the White Sea.

Rosatom stated that the ship, which entered service in 1988 and underwent extensive refurbishment before the last decade, is Russia's only nuclear-powered icebreaker cargo ship.

Reuters