Repairs of World's First Lenin Museum-Atomic Icebreaker Completed

After the completion of all repairs, the world's first Lenin atomic icebreaker, now museum, has left the Atomflot state wharves and is now moored at a pier.

According to the press service of the Murmansk Shipping Company, the work done will assure that the museum icebreaker can reliably stay afloat for the next 40 years. This has been the first step as concerns the reconstruction of the museum ship and turning it into an educational and enlightenment centre.

Now that the icebreaker is moored at a pier, the professionals of the Murmansk Shipping Company and the crew of the ship intend to continue the conversion, first of all, make the central section radiation-free. Equipment that could only be used if the ship continued to function as an icebreaker will be disassembled. One of the first-circuit circulation pumps will be installed in the Arktika icebreaker, the other stored as a spare unit.

The press centre says there still is much to do before the Lenin complies with the rules set by the Iceberg design bureau applicable to permanently moored ships. Measures must be taken to assure complete electric and fire safety, heating installed. The obtaining of an official museum status for the ship will also take certain efforts. The completion of all to be done is planned for the year 2005. More information is available at the website of at the website of the Murmansk Shipping Company (http://www.msco.ru).