Russia is to be begin demolishing the first nuclear-powered icebreaker.
The 20,700-gt Sibir (built 1977) was taken out of service in 1992.
It will be dismantled at Nerpa Shipyard, north of Murmansk, in 2017 - the first time such work has been attempted, the Bellona website reported.
The job finally got the go-ahead after the government approved a federal target programme for 2016 to 2030, with funding guaranteeing radiation safety.
Sibir’s spent nuclear fuel was unloaded in 1993. The reactor had worked for more than 100,000 hours.
The work is costing $15m.
