Breaking the ice First of Arctic ships is named
Russian mining company Norilsk Nickel has named the first of a new series of icebreaking ships at Aker MTW shipyard in Wismar, Germany. The 269 m long containership Monchegorsk is the first of a series of five containerships on order with capacity to carry 15,000 tonnes of metal between the northern Russian ports of Dudinka and Murmansk. Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest nickel and palladium miner, aims to complete its polar fleet newbuilding programme by 2009 as part of a multi-billion dollar investment in Arctic region projects. AP