Very recently, Russian defense media revealed in their publications plans for Moscow to build a new class of nuclear-powered submarines, the hull of which will be longer than 360 meters.
These submarines will be used to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) along the Northern Sea Route.
The Northern Sea Route is a trade route approximately 5,600 kilometers long in Arctic waters. Part of it is located within the Russian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), while it should be noted that it is something similar to the Canadian Northwest Passage.
For comparison, Russia’s largest submarine operates in the Russian Navy and is 184 meters long.
Moscow Wants Huge Transport Submarines
More specifically, the Russian government’s ambitious plans aim to reduce the time it currently takes to transport gas from northern Russia to southern parts of the world.
Today, a conventional tanker would take about 20 days to travel the Northern Sea Route. Russia’s fleet of future nuclear-powered submarines could theoretically cover the same distance in just 12 days. This would have huge benefits for the Russian economy, as transport would be safer, faster, and more economical.
However, experts believe that the program of these submarines is too ambitious to become a reality soon. As mentioned above, the largest submarine in Russia today has a hull length of 184 meters. The transport submarines that Moscow wants to build are said to be twice as long, which raises doubts in the international community.
However, if the Russian shipbuilding industry really succeeds in developing, designing and building such vessels, we will be dealing with a technological achievement of historical proportions. These submarines will be even larger than the pride of the American Navy, the 350-meter-long super-aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.
Each such Russian submarine could theoretically carry over 100,000 tons of liquefied gas, changing everything in the shipping sector.
It is quite possible that these submarines will have a dual purpose. In peacetime they will transport gas, but in times of crisis these vessels could carry weapons systems or even troops.
