500,000-ton commercial submarine? Russia's determination to export oil to China has left the White House in awe.
Recently, Mikhail Kovalchuk, director of the Kurchatov Institute in Russia, announced that the planned nuclear-powered submarine oil tanker will be 360 meters long, about 70 meters wide, and about 30 meters high, equipped with three RITM-200 nuclear reactors, with a driving power of 90 megawatts, capable of carrying 170,000 to 180,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas, and can break ice at a speed of 17 knots underwater.
Different from traditional oil tankers, the Russian-designed submersible liquefied natural gas transport ship can avoid Arctic ice and harsh sea conditions, enabling year-round unmanned transportation, and is said to operate normally in extreme environments as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius.
The design dimensions of this nuclear-powered submersible natural gas transport ship are astonishing. The 360-meter-long hull even exceeds the length of many current aircraft carriers. Its closest comparison is the world's largest platform installation ship "Pioneering Spirit," which is 382 meters long and 124 meters wide, used for dismantling and assembling offshore platforms.
The displacement may reach up to 500,000 tons, far exceeding any submarine in history. For comparison, the largest nuclear submarine in history, the 941-class "Borei" submarine, has a displacement of only 42,000 tons, and this submersible oil tanker will be nearly 12 times its size.
Compared to traditional icebreaking liquefied natural gas transport ships, the greatest advantage of the nuclear-powered submersible oil tanker is that it is not restricted by Arctic ice and can travel all year round on the Northern Sea Route.
Russia plans to increase the total volume of natural gas exports, including liquefied natural gas and pipeline gas, from 146 billion cubic meters in 2023 to 293 billion cubic meters by 2030, and further to 438 billion cubic meters by 2050.
China and Russia recently established the "Northern Sea Route Development Joint Committee," indicating that cooperation between the two countries in Arctic energy transportation may deepen. I also doubt the scientific merit and necessity of this approach. Why not build an oil pipeline on land? Why must such an unimaginable 500,000-ton commercial submarine be built?
It is estimated that the White House would also be amazed by such a massive submarine and feel helpless about Russia's determined resolve to export oil to China.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846467287197768/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.