Norilsk Nickel expects two-year delays in new projects commissioning due to equipment shortage
Construction of an icebreaker at a Finnish shipyard is also experiencing restrictions
MMC Norilsk Nickel expects that the launching of some newbuilding projects will be extended from a quarter to two years, Sergey Dubovitsky, Senior Vice President of Nornickel said at the SPIEF, IAA PortNews correspondent reports.
“We are working closely on the task of import substitution, our specialists are cooperating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade. We understand what to do, but we understand that replacing complex technological equipment is not just replacing one thing with another. This requires clarification of technical solutions, design solutions. We understand that it just takes time to refine these technical solutions. In some cases to redesign projects, so we expect that in a natural way some projects will be extended for a quarter, for a year, and in some cases for two,” he said.
Sergey Dubovitsky noted, answering a question from IAA PortNews about the icebreaker fleet for the company's transportation projects in the Arctic, there are objective challenges associated with construction at foreign shipyards.
“There are currently three icebreakers operating on our routes versus only one previously. We have an agreement with Rosatom and Zvezda Shipbuilding Center on the construction of a Russian diesel-powered icebreaker. We expected that the new icebreaker will replace the existing icebreakers of Taimyr and Vaigach types, and the ship was scheduled to enter service in the second half of the 2020s. In these new realities, we will clarify the construction schedule.
He also acknowledged that there are restrictions under the contract to build an LNG-powered icebreaker in Finland at Helsinki Shipyard Oy, without specifying whether construction is currently on hold.
“Yes, there are indeed restrictions. We will finally be able to say within three months,” he added, answering a question from PortNews.
In January, Helsinki Shipyard Oy announced that it had received an order from MMC Norilsk Nickel for an LNG-powered icebreaker, which was scheduled for completion by 2025. It was reported that the icebreaker will have an integrated DF diesel-electric propulsion to use both LNG and low-sulphur diesel fuel as fuel. The vessel will have Icebreaker 8 of RS and will be able to sail in 2-meter-thick ice.
The ship’s future area of operation is the basin of the Yenisey river, the Yenisey bay and the Kara Sea to ensure the access to the Port of Dudinka. Homeported in Murmansk, the icebreaker will have a task of making a channel along the Yenisey river for Arctic Expresses ships of Nornickel fleet as well as towing additionally deployed ships of Arc5 class with deadweight of up to 20,000 tonnes.
The construction of LNG-powered icebreakers has been under discussion from 2017. There was a plan to order four ships for operation in the Kara Sea and in the Gulf of Ob. It was first initiated by Atomflot which will apparently operate the icebreaker under construction. Nornickel earlier announced its intent to finance the construction with its own resources. NOVATEK also used to speak about building of icebreakers. Construction of one ship was estimated at $300 million.
