Ceremonial signing of acceptance/delivery certificate for diesel-electric icebreaker Novorossiysk (Project 21900М) built by Vyborg Shipyard (Leningrad Region) has been held today, 26 December 2016, in Saint-Petersburg, the shipyard told IAA PortNews.
The ceremony started with a minute of silence in memory of those killed in the crash of Tu-154 in the Black sea on 25 December 2016.
Aleksandr Solovyov, Director General of Vyborg Shipyard, thanked those who took part in construction of the series of icebreakers. He said: “The icebreaker is already fully operational. In early January she will go to sea to perform icebreaking operations”. The Director General emphasized that the shipyard had built three icebreakers on a turnkey basis. “The shipyard has confirmed once more its ability to build on a turnkey basis sophisticated vessels for the development of Russian Arctic,” summarized Aleksandr Solovyov.
Andrei Tarasenko, Director General of FSUE Rosmorport, highly praised the series and thanked the shipbuilders. He highlighted timely delivery of the icebreaker and the company’s demand for such vessels. “This will be the fortieth icebreaker of our company. There is an extensive plan for their deployment, such vessels are of enormous demand.”
According to him, the Novorossiysk will operate in the Arctic. “The icebreakers are also expected in the Gulf of Finland, we work at the Route (the Northern Sea Route – Ed.) and provide support to operation of platforms. New requests come from Dikson. We need more icebreakers of this type, we will order more,” said Andrei Tarasenko.
“Having completed the series Vyborg Shipyard has obtained unique competence allowing it to become a leader in this field of domestic shipbuilding. New icebreakers laid down at the shipyard is a bright confirmation,” said Yevgeny Zagorodny, Vice-President for Civil Shipbuilding, United Shipbuilding Corporation.
It should be noted that the acceptance/delivery certificate was signed following the successful completion of sea trials.
The Novorossiysk built with application of the cutting-edge technologies is able to break through 1.5-meter-thick ice. Fuel endurance of the Novorossiysk is 40 days. The ship has a heli-deck. The vessel is intended for escorting independently large-tonnage merchant ships, providing towing service, fire fighting at floating vessels and other facilities, assistance to stricken ships, transportation of cargo. The icebreaker will be operated by the North-Western Basin Branch of FSUE Rosmorport in the water area of the Baltic Sea in winter period and in the Arctic seas in summer-autumn period.
Vessel’s characteristics: length — 119.8 m; breadth — 27.5 m; draft — 8.5 m; speed — 17 knots.
Renovation of Russia’s fleet of icebreakers is among the priorities to ensure round-the-year access to the country’s freezing ports as well as safe navigation, environmental safety and high level of cargo handling operations, says the statement.
Vyborg Shipyard was contracted to build three 16MW icebreakers under the Federal Targeted Programme “Development of Russia’s Transport System in 2010-2020” and started executing the shipbuilding contract in 2012. The lead vessel of the series, the Vladivostok, was delivered to the Customer in October 2015. The Murmansk, first serial icebreaker, was handed over in December 2015. The serial icebreaker Novorossiysk was launched in the end of October 2015.
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