Marina Starovoitova Becomes First Woman to Captain Biggest Nuclear Icebreaker
Russia Celebrates First Woman Captain of Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker
For the first time in history, a woman has been appointed captain of a nuclear-powered vessel. Marina Starovoitova has taken command of the icebreaker Yamal, a milestone announced during a gala concert celebrating the 80th anniversary of Russia’s nuclear industry.
A Historic Milestone in the Russian Fleet
“Welcome the first woman in history to become captain of a nuclear icebreaker—Marina Starovoitova!” the host declared as the appointment was revealed on stage. She was then presented with the captain’s insignia by Alexander Barinov, the legendary captain of the nuclear icebreaker Arktika and pioneer of the first voyage to the North Pole.
From Deckhand to Captain
Starovoitova’s maritime career began in 2005 aboard the nuclear-powered ship Sevmorput, where she served as a deckhand. She later gained experience working on commercial vessels while studying navigation. In 2014, she joined the crew of the nuclear icebreaker Yamal as chief mate, steadily building her career. Now, she has risen to captain, leading the vessel and its crew through the challenging Arctic seas.
Details
Yamal (Russian: Ямал) is a Russian Arktika-class nuclear-powered icebreaker operated by Atomflot (formerly by the Murmansk Shipping Company). She is named after the Yamal Peninsula in Northwest Siberia; the name means End of the Land in Nenets. Laid down in Leningrad in 1986, and commissioned in October 1992, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, she filled her designed role of keeping shipping lanes open and also carried passengers on Arctic excursions. In July 1994 Yamal took an excursion to the North Pole, with the NSF (National Science Foundation – US), to celebrate the official maiden voyage. While at the exact North Pole (verified by GPS & Inmarsat satellite coordinates) the crew and passengers celebrated with a barbeque – the ambient temperature was −23 °C (−9 °F) (wind gusts were measured at −40 °C (−40 °F)). Because of the ship 90/90 coordinates the ship captain (Smirnov) organized a swimming party with Will Rountree (US) being recorded as the first person to ever swim there (21 July 1994) – water temperature was below freezing, ranging from 0 to −1.8 °C (32 to 29 °F). In 2007 Lewis Gordon Pugh swam a kilometer at the North Pole, having sailed there aboard Yamal.
