The nuclear icebreaker Leader is to be put into operation in 2027
On 6 July 2020, Zvezda shipyard (Bolshoy Kamen, Primorsky Territory) commenced steel cutting for the superpowered nuclear icebreaker of Project 10510, Leader, says State Corporation “Rosatom”.
The state customer under the shipbuilding contract is State Corporation “Rosatom”, project developer – FSUE Atomflot, sole contractor - SC Zvezda.
Under the contract, the ship is to be put into operation in 2027.
“State Corporation “Rosatom” has endorsed the initiative of Rosatomflot on giving the name ‘Rossiya’ to the superpowered nuclear icebreaker of Project 10510, - said Mustafa Kashka, General Director of FSUE Atomflot. – The fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers keeps up the succession of ships’ names and maintains the tradition of giving geographic names to nuclear icebreakers.”
The contract on the construction of the nuclear icebreaker Leader (project 10510) was signed remotely on April 23 by Rosatom subsidiary FSUE Atomflot and Shipbuilding Complex “Zvezda”; the parties were respectively located in Murmansk and Vladivostok.
Nuclear-powered icebreaker of Project 10510 will be built in the Far East by Shipbuilding Complex “Zvezda” in pursuance of RF Government’s Decree dated 27 March 2019 (No 538-р) “On designation of Shipbuilding Complex “Zvezda” as the sole contractor on construction of Leader icebreaker”.
The Leader icebreaker designed by “Iceberg” Central Design Bureau will be equipped with RITM-400 reactors designed by Rosatom’s Afrikantov Experimental Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering.
Key characteristics of the icebreaker of project 10510, Leader: propulsion power - 120 MW; speed – 22 knots; length - 209 m; width – 47.7 m; reactor plant – two RITM-400 reactors of 315 MW heat rate each; icebreaking capability (maximum): – 4 m; displacement – about 69,700 t.
Main power equipment: nuclear power system equipped with two RITM-400 reactors; steam turbine unit equipped with four turbo-generators, each with a power capacity of 37 MW; electric propulsion system equipped with four propeller motors, each with a power capacity of 30 MW.
The nuclear-powered icebreaker will be able to make a channel of up to 50 meters wide to ensure economically efficient year-round operation of large cargo ships (from 50,000 tonnes) and 50-meter wide gas carriers of Arc7 class on the Northern Sea Route. Until the Leader icebreaker is put into operation, cargo ships will be escorted on the Northern Sea Route by nuclear-powered icebreakers of up to 60 MW.
The Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex is constructed by the Rosneft-led Consortium upon the instruction of President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The Shipyard’s order portfolio amounts to 39 vessels (59 vessels including options) at the moment. The Shipyard’s pilot throughput is provided for by Rosneft that placed an order for 28 vessels. Zvezda’s product line will include vessels of up to 350 tonnes displacement, components of marine platforms, ice-class vessels, commercial vessels for cargo transportation, specialty vessels, and other types of marine equipment of any complexity, characteristics and purposes, including those that had not previously been produced in Russia due to the lack of required launching and hydraulic structures.
More information about construction of icebreakers is available in Russian in the analytical report of IAA PortNews for the Ministry of Industry and Trade >>>>
Related links:
Atomflot and Zvezda signed contract on construction of 120MW icebreaker of Leader class >>>>
RUB 127.57 billion of federal budget allocations approved for construction of Leader-class icebreaker >>>>