Nuclear Power Enables Scheduled North Pole Cruises for at Least Two Companies

July 17th, 2008 by Rod Adams

One of the reasons that I am so enthusiastic about nuclear fission technology is that it provides humans with the ability to accomplish tasks that would be impossible with any other power source.

As a former submarine engineer, I never fail to marvel at the fact that a volume of fuel small enough to fit under my office desk could power a ship for 15-30 years without even taking a breath. Trying to compare nuclear capabilities with wind or solar power is like trying to compare Michael Jordan in his prime to a bench warmer on an elementary school basketball team.

I once saw an unforgettable documentary on A & E titled Icebreaker to the North Pole. The film started off as a tale of heroic sacrifice and scientific exploration by two teams, one Canadian and one American, that traveled in partnership on board one icebreaking vessel from each country. As the two diesel powered ships slogged their way through the ice, it was clear that they were operating near their design limits in terms of ice thickness and length of the journey due to on board fuel storage capacity.

Every time the ships encountered moderate ice, they had to pour on the throttle and send plumes of black diesel smoke out of their stack. Since one of the experiments done during the trip was an investigation of the CO2 concentrations in the ice cores, there was some irony involved in seeing the emissions from the ship.

The second half of the story turned into a bit of a farce since the two western teams were met at the Pole by the Yamal, a Russian nuclear powered icebreaker that was able to churn through the ice almost as if it did not exist. When the Yamal arrived at the North Pole, the passengers on the ship – a group of school aged dancers and singers – went out on the ice and provided a show for the cameras. There was quite a contrast between the sense of struggle and hearty exploration by the scientists and the fact that the young dancers arrived with little difficulty and in comfortable surroundings.

Amusing side note – if you visit Amazon.com to purchase a copy of the Icebreaker to the North Pole video, you will note that one of the scientists who was on the journey wrote a review. The comment sounds a lot like sour grapes to me:

Frankly the cuts from the children to the scientists trivializes the importance of the work being doen on the expedition for the sake of cuteness. I was a participant in this expedition. It was historic and deserves to be documented accordingly. Unfortunately, this video isn’t it.

With nuclear power as a tool, it is now possible for anyone with a large enough checking account and about 16 days of available vacation to take the same journey that the school children took in 1994. In fact, there are at least two cruise lines operating North Pole cruises this summer including Poseidon Arctic Voyages and Quark Expeditions.

Quark Expeditions operates polar expeditions using specialized fleet of ships that travel to Antarctica, through the Northwest Passage and now, to the North Pole. A trip that challenged explorers for years, the trip from Murmansk to the geographic North Pole can now be done on a comfortable, well appointed ship named 50 Years of Victory in about 4.5 days.

The maiden voyage of 50 Years of Victory took place from June 23 – July 7, 2008. The passengers kept a blog of their travels, so you can read all about the polar bear sightings, the 5 course meals, the expert crew (with as many as thirty years of experience on nuclear icebreakers), and reaching 90N on June 29, 2008.

You can also visit a photo library of the trip. While browsing, notice that there is not a spec of smoke coming out of the stack, which is almost like an appendix for a nuclear powered ship.

Photo credit – 50 Years of Victory – Prisca Campbell, Quark Expeditions. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

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