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Russia Develops Laser Ice-Cutter for Northern Sea Route

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Russia Develops Laser Ice-Cutter for Northern Sea Route

Scientists have built a laser cutting tool to assist Arctic icebreakers, and say it could boost traffic along the Northern Sea Route by seven-fold. But one famous polar explorer says he doubts the new technology will deliver on its promise.

Russia may have taken the lead in Arctic exploration with the development of a new laser-based ice cutter that could potentially increase shipping traffic along the Northern Sea Route by seven-fold, according to Russia & India Report.

Developed by the Moscow-based KURS research institute, the laser ice cutter is said to be similar to a glass-cutting tool, slicing the ice apart in front of an icebreaker vessel to facilitate its smooth passage through the oceans. More importantly, the tool allows icebreakers to create a wider path through the ice than normal, which means vessels can escort ships of greater width than normal.

Rostec State Corporation, a non-profit organization that promotes the development of Russian technology, said the laser cutter will allow the creation of new shipping lanes, making it economically viable.

“If the laser can help speed up the icebreakers traveling along Northern seas, it must be installed,” Vladimir Pushkarev, the director of the Russian Arctic Exploration Institute, told RIR.

Schwabe Holding, a subsidiary of Rostec Corp., has already begun testing the device, RIR reports. The tool is described as a “breakthrough in Russian laser technologies” by Schwabe engineers, who said plans are in place to expand the scope of the system and fit it to lighter vessels that can navigate Siberian rivers.

Russian has attracted criticism in the west for “not abiding by international environmental standards” in the Arctic region, as The Financial Times reported last March. Nontheless, Schwabe’s engineers told RIR that the device meets the highest international environmental safety standards.

“Once the development of the laser system is completed, we will conduct all the necessary tests to confirm the device is safe for the environment and for Arctic fauna and flora,” a Schwabe representative said.

Not everyone is convinced of the laser’s potential however. Well-known Russian Polar adventurer and explorer Viktor Boyarsky told RIR that the extreme cold of the Arctic region would render the device almost useless, as the ice would simply freeze back together almost instantly.

“Granted, the device can cut through ice floes three-meters thick, but the cuts will heal as soon as the ray moves away,” Boyarsky said.  ”Nuclear powered icebreakers are the best solution we have and this is not going to change in the foreseeable future. It is hard to imagine transport ships making passages independently, without icebreakers, by simply chipping off the ice with a laser.”

Nevertheless, the international scientific community seems to be convinced – the device was awarded a gold medal at the Inventions Geneva 2013 international exhibition.

Russian vessels transport around 15 million tons of cargo through the Northern Sea Route each year, according to Rosatomflot, the operator of Russia’s nuclear icebreaker fleet.

Image credit: jmp71 via Pixabay.com

http://russia-insider.com/en/technology/russia-develops-laser-ice-cutter-northern-sea-route/ri7073

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