United Shipbuilding Corporation's (USC) Admiralty Shipyard cut the first steel for the future Project 00903 ice-resistant self-propelled platform Severnyy Polyus ("North Pole") in a ceremony on Thursday, December 20.
Designed by JSC Vympel, the vessel will serve as a polar research station that can stay adrift in the Arctic Ocean for up to two years without entering port.
Severnyy Polyus will have a length of 83.1 metres, a width of 22.5 metres, a displacement of 10,390 tonnes, a speed of 10 knots, and accommodations for 14 crewmembers and 34 scientists and technicians.
The vessel will also be fitted with an egg-shaped bow to minimise the impact of ice.
