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2016 June 16   12:50

Baltiysky Zavod launches Arktika, lead nuclear-powered icebreaker of Project 22220 (photo)

Baltiysky Zavod shipyard (Saint-Petersburg) has launched the Arktika, lead nuclear-powered icebreaker of Project 22220 built to the order of Rosatom Corporation, says IAA PortNews reporter.

The ceremony was attended by the following officials: Valentina Matvienko, Chairperson of the Federation Council of Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, who served as godmother of the new ship; Sergey Kiriyenko, Director General of Rosatom Corporation; Marina Kovtun, Governor of the Murmansk Region; Sergey Movchan, Vice-Governor of Saint-Petersburg; Artur Chilingarov, member of the Federation Council of Federal Assembly, President of the State Polar Academy; Aleksey Rakhmanov, President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation; Aleksey Kadilov, Director General of Baltiysky Zavod-Sudostroyeniye.

Sergey Kiriyenko said that the icebreaker is to be delivered to FSUE Atomflot by the end of 2017.

According to Aleksey Kadilov, this year the shipyard is going to launch the 25 MW diesel-electric icebreaker Viktor Chernomyrdin and lay the keel of the third icebreaker of Project 22220, the Ural. Besides, Baltiysky Zavod will deliver the floating power unit of the world’s first floating nuclear heat and power plant for fuelling.

The Arktika is built to RS class with the class notation КM ✪ Icebreaker 9 [2] AUT2-ICS EPP.  RS (Russian Maritime Register of Shipping) is the global leader in the development of safety standards for icebreakers and ice class ships. RS is the only classification society in the world to have civil nuclear-powered ships in its class. 

RS says the icebreaker of Project 22220 is a new type of Russian nuclear icebreakers. Due to the new design the ship can vary draft and operate both in deep waters of western Arctic areas (Barents, Pechora and Kara Seas), and in shallow waters of river estuaries (Yenisey’s mouth and the Gulf of Ob). With her highest Arctic class, icebreaker9, the 60MW icebreaker will be capable of continuous proceeding ahead, breaking heavy ice of up to 2.8 m thick. These high-tech universal vessels will be the largest and the most powerful icebreakers in the world.

Nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika, lead ship of Project 22220, was laid down at Baltiysky Zavod (United Shipbuilding Corporation) In November 2013. The icebreaker will be powered by two RITM-200 reactors of 175 MWt. The system was developed specially for this ship. The ship was designed by Central Design Bureau Iceberg in 2009. The icebreaker’s advanced dual-draft capability makes it suitable for operations both in the Arctic waters and in the mouths of the northern rivers. 

Two more icebreakers of this series are planned to be built to RS class in the future. The first serial icebreaker of Project 22220, the Sibir, was laid down on May 26, 2015.

Ship's specifications: Length - 173.3 m; Beam - 34 m; Designed draught — 10.5 m; Operational draught, min – 8.55 m; Designed displacement - 33,540 t, crew – 75.

Specified lifetime – 40 years.

The delivery of the lead icebreaker is scheduled for December 2017.

A multipurpose new generation atomic ice-breaker is designated for independent pilotage of vessels (including large capacity vessels) and leading of ice convoys in the western region of the Arctic all year round; ice pilotage of vessels in the shallow water areas of the Yenisei and Ob Rivers; towing of vessels and other floating devices through ice and ice-free waters; assistance to vessels and implementation of salvage operations in the ice conditions and in ice-free water. The maximum thickness of continuous flat ice cover of 500kPa strength through which the ice-breaker can make a channel at a continuous speed of about 1.5-2 knots at full engine power and draught on the design waterline at the deep water constitutes 2.80m.

The ship’s hull, mechanism, equipment and systems comply with MARPOL 73/78 and NSR sewage and waste pollution prevention requirements.

Baltiysky Zavod OJSC (Saint-Petersburg) specializes in construction of rank 1 surface-crafts, ice class vessels with nuclear and diesel-electric propulsion plants, nuclear floating energy units, floating distilling plants.

The shipyard was set up in 1856. In its history Baltiysky Zavod which had built over 600 ships and vessels and was privatized several times and returned to state control when financial problems arose. In late 2011, the shipyard once more fell under the control of the state represented by the United Shipbuilding Corporation. To preserve the staff and the competence of the shipyard, USC founded Baltiysky Zavod – Sudostroyeniye LLC.  The Company’s staff currently numbers 4,000 employees.

The backlog of orders of Baltiysky Zavod-Sudostroyeniye LLC is currently valued at about RUB 150 bln. The largest orders are: three 60-MWt nuclear icebreakers, 25-MWt diesel-electric icebreaker, floating power unit of the world’s first floating nuclear heat and power plant, engineering products. In 2015, the Company’s revenue totaled RUB 11.857 mln, net profit – RUB 1.229 mln, current assets – RUB 62.736 bln.

United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC OJSC) is the largest shipbuilding company in Russia. It was set up in 2007 with 100% federal ownership. The holding comprises 60 companies and organizations (major shipbuilding and shiprepairing companies as well as leading design bureaus). Currently, USC consolidates about 80% of the domestic shipbuilding complex. The Russian market is the main focus of the state corporation though it also exports its products to 20 countries worldwide.

Photo release >>>>