In 2018, nuclear-powered icebreakers of FSUE Atomflot escorted 331 vessels with total capacity of 12.7 million tonnes, up 5 million tonnes, year-on-year, says press center of the company.
The number of escort operations decreased (vs 493 ships in 2017) due to completion of the active phase of construction in Sabetta and consequent decrease in the number of vessels carrying construction materials. Besides, with the beginning of LNG shipments from Sabetta by Yamalmax tankers, icebreaker started escorting ships with higher GRT.
The company’s 2018 revenue totaled RUB 6,806 million (vs. RUB 6,622 million in 2017). Labor efficiency increased from RUB 3,669 thou per person in 2017 to RUB 3,802 thou per person in 2018.
In 2018, FSUE Atomflot and Afrikantov Experimental Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering (OKBM Afrikantov) continued scheduled works to extend the life of nuclear-powered icebreaker’s reactor plants. In February 2018, nuclear-powered icebreaker Vaygach broke the record of the Arktika icebreaker in terms of operation of its nuclear power plant which worked for 177,205 hours (previous record registered in August 2008 – 177,204 hours).
In 2018, the company started operations under its export contract as part of the Yamal LNG. Operation under the second gas project on the Gydan peninsula have commenced.
“Successful implementation of the most ambitious national projects in the Arctic depends to a great extent on efficient operation of nuclear-powered icebreakers, – commented Mustafa Kashka, Acting General Director of FSUE Atomflot. – In this respect, it was decided to build the third and the fourth serial nuclear-powered icebreakers as well as the Leader icebreaker, which is crucial for the company and for the development of the Northern Sea Route.”
At the initiative and with participation of FSUE Atomflot, Maritime Arctic Competence Center was inaugurated in Saint-Petersburg at the premises of the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping in October 2018.
FSUE Atomflot is successfully implementing a project on creating a port fleet to ensure a package of services in the Gulf of Ob. Icebreaking tugboat Nadym of Arc6 class was put into operation in June 2018. Vyborg Shipyard (Leningrad Region) is completing the construction of port icebreaker Ob. The ship launched on 21 June 2018 is to be put into operation in 2019.
In late December 2018 The construction of a dock workshop with up-to-date equipment for treatment and repair of propellers, shafts and screws of icebreakers and other ships. A permit was obtained to put the workshop into operation.
According to Oleg Darbinyan, Fleet Maintenance Director, Atomflot, “The new dock workshop provides for all types of dock repair needed by multipurpose nuclear-powered icebreakers. The new processing unit can handle shafts of up to 70 tonnes”.
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Nuclear-powered icebreakers of Atomflot performed 87 assistance operations in navigation 2018 >>>>