Russia Tests Towing Million-Ton Iceberg [PHOTOS]

A Russian icebreaker has succesfully towed an iceberg weighing approximately 1 million tons, according to the oil company Rosneft.

The tow was part of a test to see whether or not a icebreaker could influence the trajectory of a large iceberg in order to protect offshore installations in the Arctic. 

The test was carried out using the Russian polar research vessel Akademik Treshnikov, and actually involved towing icebergs or various shapes and sizes. According to Rosneft, the icebreaker was able to steer the icebergs 90 to 180 degrees relative to its original path.

In the offshore industry, wrangling icebergs, aka iceberg management, is actually nothing new. In 2015, Atlantic Towing vessels were used to intercept an iceberg found drifting near offshore rigs in the North Atlantic off the Newfoundland and Labrador coast.

Editorial Standards · Corrections · About gCaptain

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 106,327 members