For the first time in history, a woman has been appointed captain of a nuclear-powered icebreaker. Marina Starovoitova has officially taken command of the Yamal, making her the world’s first female captain in this role.

The appointment was announced on August 20, 2025, during the Era of Dreamers concert in Nizhny Novgorod. The large-scale gala, which opened celebrations for the 80th anniversary of Russia’s nuclear industry, gathered around 30,000 people, including more than 20,000 employees of Rosatom enterprises.

At the ceremony, Starovoitova was awarded the Captain’s badge by Alexander Barinov, President Emeritus of the Murmansk Atomflot veteran organisation.

Starovoitova described her new responsibility as a daily mission to carry forward the traditions of the nuclear fleet, safeguard the crew, and guide the icebreaker. She expressed hope that she would live up to the trust placed in her by colleagues and the wider maritime community.

She graduated from Bryansk State University and began her career teaching Russian language and literature at a rural school. Later, when the Murmansk Shipping Company began recruiting women for ship crews, she decided to join and graduated from the Admiral S.O. Makarov State Maritime Academy as a navigation engineer.

Since then, Starovoitova has spent more than 20 years at sea, six of them within the nuclear fleet. Starting as a sailor, she steadily worked her way up to the position of Senior Assistant Captain before being named captain.

Over the years, she has earned professional recognition, including a Certificate of Merit from Rosatom, a letter of gratitude from the Russian President, and several other industry awards.

Nuclear icebreakers are vital for keeping the Northern Sea Route open, providing safe passage through Arctic waters. Russia is the only country in the world that operates such a fleet. Atomflot, a Rosatom subsidiary, currently manages eight nuclear-powered icebreakers: Yamal, 50 Let Pobedy, Arktika (Project 22220), Vaigach, Taimyr, Siberia (Project 22220), Ural (Project 22220), and Yakutia (Project 22220). Two more vessels from Project 22220 are under construction, along with the next-generation super-powerful icebreaker Rossiya. Another Project 22220 vessel, Stalingrad, is also in progress.

The Northern Sea Route (NSR), where these icebreakers operate, is the shortest shipping link between Western Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific. Stretching 5,600 kilometers, it runs from the Kara Strait, at the border of the Barents and Kara Seas, to Cape Dezhnev in the Bering Strait. The route crosses the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi Seas, and supports navigation to Arctic ports and major Siberian rivers. Six major ports are located along this route: Sabetta, Dickson, Dudinka, Khatanga, Tiksi, and Pevek.

Reference: Rosatom

Do you have info to share with us ? Suggest a correction