The message reads, in part:
“Sixty years ago, on December 3, 1959, the nuclear icebreaker Lenin, the world’s first nuclear-powered civilian vessel, was put into operation. It was a landmark day in the history of global shipbuilding and is marked as the birthday of the nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet.
The implementation of this ambitious project was made possible by the high professionalism and a responsible attitude of personnel in widely different sectors of the national economy, as well as in basic and applied sciences. Since then, the nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet has made a unique contribution to the development of the Arctic and the creation of conditions for safe operation of the Northern Sea Route. Modern icebreakers guarantee safe and year-round shipping in high latitudes and are also cutting-edge research labs that are being used to study the Arctic ecosystem.
You are facing new challenging tasks, which is why three powerful icebreakers are being built at the Baltic Shipyard and new-generation vessels are being designed. I have no doubt that the professionalism of Russian shipbuilders and researchers and their commitment to the best traditions of their predecessors will produce new breakthrough achievements in the Arctic region and will help to maintain Russia’s leading positions in the development of the North and in the peaceful uses of nuclear power.”