Baltiysky Zavod (St. Petersburg) launches the “Moscow” icebreaker

St. Petersburg-based Baltiysky Zavod has launched a multipurpose icebreaker “Moscow” with diesel-electric power plant built to the order of Rosmorport FSUE, IA REGNUM reported from the ceremony dedicated to the event. As Dmitri Dmitrenko, deputy head of the Federal Agency of Marine and River Transport, told at the solemn ceremony, the new vessel will escort 150,000-dwt tankers in the Baltic Sea. According to Dmitrenko, two more icebreakers of the same series are to be built besides this one. According to Yuri Parfeonov, head of Rosmorport FSUE, RUR 1.2 billion has already been allocated for construction of the “Moscow” icebreaker while the total value of the contract is RUR 2.7 billion.Baltisky Zavod won an international tender for the construction of two icebreakers for Rosmorport FSUE late in 2004. The total sum of the contract amounts to RUR 5 billion. It is the first icebreaker with diesel-electric power plant built at Russian shipyard throughout last 32 years. Earlier all Russian non-nuclear icebreakers were built abroad.

After launching the vessel the yard’s specialists are to carry out all outfitting work and final assembling of all systems and mechanisms. Sea trials of the icebreaker are to be carried out in the Baltic Sea in autumn 2007. The customer is to take the delivery late in 2007.

Line diesel-electric icebreaker is a double-decker. Icebreaker displacement is approx. 10 thousand t, length --116 m, breadth - 26.5 m, draught - 8.5 m, speed in open water - 17 knots. The crew is 25 persons. Icebreaker hull is designed for breaking up the ice formation over 1 meter thick. The icebreaker is designed for escort of the large-capacity tankers of 40-50 m in breadth; towage of ships in ice and open water conditions; assuring salvage and rescue operations and emergency aid to ships; recovery of oil and chemicals spillage in open sea and for fire fighting. Such capabilities are the most optimal for ship's operation in the waters of the Gulf of Finland.

Baltiysky Zavod OJSC is one of Russia’s largest shipyards. It in construction of naval ships of different class and rank as well as vessels with nuclear-powered propulsion. The yard’s major shareholder is United Industrial Corporation (OPK) managing assets of Mezhprombank. In 2005, net profit of Baltiysky Zavod under Russian Accounting Standards totaled RUR 290 million, sales volume made RUR 2.7 billion, sales revenue amounted to RUR 1.5 billion, the company’s asset value made RUR 9.4 billion.