St. Petersburg-based Baltic Shipyard has held a steel-cutting ceremony for a new generation nuclear-powered 60MW icebreaker of Project 22220, Atomflot (the vessel operator) press release said. The ceremony was attended by Atomflot’s General Director Vyacheslav Ruksha.
In June, the Russian government in its regulation initiated the construction of a multipurpose icebreaker of capacity of 60 MW (UAL-60). On August 23 2012, Rosatom Corporation’s Atomflot and Baltic Shipyard (Baltiysky Zavod-Shipbuilding) signed a contract for the construction of the RS class icebreaker of new generation of Project 22220. The icebreaker was designed at CDB Iceberg in 2009.
The LK-60 icebreaker will be the largest and most powerful icebreaker in the world. Ship’s main characteristics: length overall - 173.3 m, beam molded - 34 meters, draft at DWL - 10.5 m, minimum loaded draft - 8.55 m, displacement - 33.54 tons. The new generation double-reactor plant "RHYTHM 200" designed by Rosatom’s "OKBM" has reactors of thermal capacity of 170 MW each - more than that of the plants used in modern nuclear icebreakers (140-150 MW).
The Icebreaker 8 class ship will be able to sail in the 3-meter-thick ice. The LK-60 icebreaker features advanced double-draft capability, which makes it suitable for operations both in the Arctic waters, and in the mouths of the northern rivers. The icebreaker will be operating in the western region of the Arctic, the Barents, Pechora and Kara Seas and in shallow waters of the mouth of the Yenisei and the Ob Bay.
Under the turn-key contract worth RUB 36.959 billion, Baltic Shipyard is to execute the order by December 30, 2017 and dock the newbuilding at the berth of FSUE Atomflot in Murmansk. Keel-laying was scheduled for November 2013, launching ceremony - for November 2015. The vessel’s construction will be supervised by RS.
LLC Baltic Shipyard (Baltiysky Zavod-Shipbuilding, former OJSC Baltiysky Zavod) is part of United Shipbuilding Corporation. The company was founded in late 2011 under the new brand name after the former company Baltic Plant went bankrupt due to poor management of the former owner. The shipbuilding company specializes in the construction of warships, large-tonnage civil vessels for transportation of different cargoes, nuclear-powered or diesel icebreakers. The enterprise builds cargo and passenger ships - Ro-Ro, Ro-Pax vessels, product carriers, dry bulk carriers, etc.