The keel laying of what will become the world’s biggest nuclear-powered icebreaker took place at the Baltic Shipyard on 26 May 2015.
The ship has been given the Icebreaker 9 notation by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) and forms part of a series of three ships to be built for Atomflot.
At the ceremony, the heads of Atomfflot, the Baltic Shipyard and the RS Branch Office for Nuclear Vessels signed a Keel Laying Acceptance Report of the first serial nuclear-powered icebreaker, project 22220.
“Ships of this project represent a new type of Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers and a new stage in the history of national shipbuilding. By their construction, a corner stone of the Russian icebreaking fleet is laid and a new page is turned in the development of the Arctic shipping,” Sergey Sedo, CEO of RS emphasized.
Owing to a new structural solution, the ships’ draught will have the ability of being modified which makes efficient operation possible both in deep western areas of the Arctic (Barents, Pechora and Kara Seas) and in shallower waters in the mouth of the Yenisei and the Gulf of Ob.
The highest Arctic category Icebreaker 9 and 60 MW power will enable the icebreakers to move through the level ice up to 2.8 m thick. The project ship length is 173.3 m, the breadth is 34 m, design draught is 10.5 m and minimal operating draught is 8.55 m. Pre-designed displacement is 33 540 tons.