Russian yard launches future nuclear-powered icebreaker

Baltic Shipyard, a company under state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation, recently floated out the fifth Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreaker to be built in Russia.

Like earlier sisters Arktika and Sibir, Chukotka belongs to a class of vessels that were originally designed in the 1990s to replace Russia's ageing fleet of icebreakers, nearly all of which were still dependent on 1960s technology.

Design work on the Project 22220 icebreakers progressed to the point that they became the largest vessels of their kind ever built, with each vessel displacing approximately 33,000 tonnes and measuring 173.3 metres long and 34 metres wide.

The icebreaker will be operated by local energy company Rosatom through icebreaking arm Atomflot. The vessel has a projected service life of 40 years and its main area of operations will encompass the western Arctic regions off Russia.

Power for the vessel is provided by two pressurised water reactors, each with a rated output of 175 MWt. The reactors operate on 20 per cent enriched Uranium-235 and have sufficient fuel for seven years of operations, ensuring fewer downtimes for refuelling. Resupply of the onboard provisions can meanwhile be done every six months, enabling extended icebreaking periods along vital sea lanes even during winter.