LASH carrier Sevmorput to re-enter service in Feb. 2016 after major overhaul
The Director-General of the State Corporation "Rosatom" Sergey Kiriyenko at the end of December 2013 signed an order to carry out major overhaul and refitting of nuclear-powered lighter aboard ship and container carrier “Sevmorput” (named after Northern Sea Route). The unique vessel will re-enter service in February 2016, the Atomflot press release said.
The icebreaking LASH / container carrier will perform commercial tasks, including the so-cold Northern deliveries of basic commodities to remote regions of the country's North, participation in the development of the shelf and Pavlovsky lead / zinc ores deposits based on Novya Zemlya. The vessel will be tasked to ensure the deployment and presence of Russia's military groups in the Arctic, rebuilding of the entire infrastructure of air stations and ports located on Siberian Islands, Franz Josef Land and other regions of the Far North of Russia.
The LASH carrier will undergo repair and refitting to the class of Register, extension of life of the ship nuclear power plant. The vessel will be supplied with nuclear fuel.
The contract execution deadline is 1.5 years.
The only Russian nuclear-powered icebreaking transport ship was built on the Kerch based Zaliv Shipyard named after B. Butoma between 1982 and 1988. Since comissioning the LASH carrier has covered nearly 302,000 miles and carried more than 1.5 million tonnes of cargo. Overall, the vessel is able to transport 74 ligthers of carrying capacity of 300 mt or 1,328 TEUs.
According to the order of the State Corporation “Rosatom" dated October 24, 2012 the nuclear reactor of the ship was to shut down. Currently, these works are suspended.