During the gala that opened the anniversary events for the 80th anniversary of the Russian nuclear industry, a ceremony was held to appoint the captain of the nuclear icebreaker Yamal. “Welcome the first woman in history to become captain of a nuclear icebreaker – Marina Starovoitova!” the gala host declared as the appointment was revealed on stage. She was then presented with the captain’s insignia by Alexander Barinov, the legendary captain of the nuclear icebreaker Arktika and pioneer of the first voyage to the North Pole.
“To be a captain – is to continue the traditions of the nuclear fleet, to take care of the crew and icebreaker. And this is where I see my main task.… I really hope that I can manage to justify your trust and the trust of my colleagues,” she said.
Marina Starovoitova was a graduate of Bryansk State University, who was teaching Russian language and literature in secondary classes at a rural school when she learned that the Murmansk Shipping Company was recruiting women for the navigation staff. She graduated from the Admiral SO Makarova State Maritime Academy as a navigational engineer. Her maritime career began in 2005 aboard the nuclear-powered ship Sevmorput, where she served as a deckhand. She later gained experience working on commercial vessels while studying navigation. In 2014, she joined the crew of the nuclear icebreaker Yamal as chief mate.
Yamal is a Russian Arktika-class nuclear-powered icebreaker operated by Atomflot (formerly by the Murmansk Shipping Company). The vessel began construction in Leningrad in 1986, and was commissioned in October 1992. Her role was to keep shipping lanes open and also to carry passengers on Arctic excursions.
In July 1994 Yamal made an excursion to the North Pole, with the US National Science Foundation, to celebrate her official maiden voyage. While at the North Pole the crew and passengers celebrated with a barbeque – the ambient temperature was −23 °C.
Ship captain (Smirnov) organised a swimming party with Will Rountree from the US being recorded as the first person to ever swim there. The water temperature was below freezing, ranging from 0 to −1.8 °C. In 2007 Lewis Gordon Pugh swam a kilometre at the North Pole, having sailed there aboard Yamal.
