A Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker suffered damage to the lining of its hull while freeing a trapped vessel in Arctic waters, state news agency RIA said on Tuesday.
It said the vessel, the Fifty Years of Victory, was still operating normally and had suffered no harm to its reactor and vital systems. No one was hurt in the incident, which took place on Sunday night in the Kara Sea, RIA reported.
"The nuclear icebreaker continues to operate in the waters of the Northern Sea Route in normal mode," it quoted fleet operator Rosatomflot as saying.
Developing the Northern Sea Route via the Arctic is a key priority for President Vladimir Putin as Russia shifts its trade eastwards in response to waves of Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan Editing by Tomasz Janowski)