Icebreakers

Will become more and more important as the ice in the Arctic reduces and that region becomes more and more a viable route for trade...

Awesome ships.

The 'Project 22220' is perspective new generation Russian atomic icebreaker. The ships are planned to be powered by the new 'RITM-200' reactors and will feature a number of new features compared to the current atomic icebreaking fleet. For e.g. they will be able to operate both in large Siberian rivers and in the Arctic Ocean.

Russia: Baltiysky Zavod Shipyard Inks USD 1.2 Bln Icebreaker Contract

On the 23rd of August in Moscow on ROSATOM’s premises the signing of a contract for building of the pilot universal new generation nuclear icebreaker was held. The contract was signed by Director General of Rosatomflot and Acting Director General of Baltiysky Zavod in the presence of First Deputy Director General and Director of the Nuclear Weapons Complex Directorate and Vice President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.

An open tender for the right of signing the contract for building the pilot universal nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 of 60 megawatt capacity was won by Baltijskiy Zavod. The contract cost is RUB 36.959 billion (approx $ 1.2 Bln ). The building process should be completed in December 2017.

Bids were invited on June 29 this year. According to the Federal Law No. 94-FZ of 21.07.2005, the contract will be awarded to Baltijskiy Zavod-Sudostroyenie.

By her technical characteristics, the universal nuclear icebreaker is a double-draught ship capable of operating in both the Northern Sea Route lines and rivers of the Arctic region, and of replacing the existing nuclear icebreakers Arktika and Taimyr. Owing to a greater width (34 m) than the existing icebreakers (30 m), the universal nuclear icebreaker will be able alone to steer tankers of up to 70,000 tons displacement in the Arctic. It will be for the first time that an icebreaker capable of passing 3-meter thick ice is built.

The icebreaker detailed design was developed by CDB Aisberg in 2009. The new nuclear-propelled ship will differ from the previous generation of icebreakers in a special ballast system, which will allow her changing draught from the maximum to minimum one over a certain period of time. Filling her ballast tanks with water, the nuclear icebreaker will “settle down” and raise her going in severe ice conditions. At the approach of the Siberian rivers where the ship’s draught should be not more than 8.5 meters, the ship will drain the ballast and plane up.

The nuclear power installation will use a new integral reactor RITM-200 designed by ROSATOM’s Nizhniy Novgorod-based OKBM Afrikantov. It will be more reliable, economical (the core needs refueling once in seven years) and nearly twice smaller than existing reactors.

The icebreaker assigned service life is 40 years.

http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/63942

Excellent news... so nice to hear governments spending money inside their own country.

http://rusnavy.com/news/navy/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=16056

On Oct 10, Baltiysky Zavod Shipbuilding Ltd will lay down a keel for the new-generation icebreaker (Project 22600, LK-25 class, power 25 kilowatt) for state-led Rosmorport.

The keel-laying ceremony will be attended by Russian Vice Premier Dmitry Rogozin, St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko, Deputy Minister of Transport Viktor Olersky, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Alexei Rahmanov, President of United Shipbuilding Corporation Andrei Diachkov, and Director General of Baltiysky Zavod Shipbuilding Ltd Alexander Voznesensky.

Baltiysky Zavod Shipyard Cuts Metal for Nuclear Icebreaker

Cutting of metal for a new-generation 60-megawatt nuclear-powered icebreaker LK-60 (Project 22220) started on Nov 1 at Baltiysky Zavod shipyard in the presence of Vyacheslav Ruksha, director general of state-led JSC Atomflot. The RUR 37-bln vessel will become the world's largest and most powerful icebreaker.

Director of the ship's ordering company Vyacheslav Ruksha triumphantly started a plasma-cutting machine at 11 am.

"Construction start of the new multifunctional nuclear icebreaker is a significant milestone not only for Atomflot and Baltiysky Zavod but for the whole nation", commented Ruksha. "It is not only revival of Russian civil nuclear shipbuilding but a guarantee that within the next forty or fifty years our icebreaking fleet will effectively and continuously accomplish government's tasks in the Arctic and along the Northern Sea Route", he said.

"We were chosen to build this ship for a good reason", says Alexander Voznesensky, Director General of Baltiysky Zavod Shipbuilding Ltd. "First, building of icebreakers is core competency of our shipyard. Second, this ship was designed by Iceberg bureau which is now integrated into our company", explained Voznesensky.

The contract for construction of LK-60 was signed in Aug 2012. According to the contract terms, Baltiysky Zavod Shipbuilding Ltd must build turnkey icebreaker and deliver it to the pier of Atomflot in Murmansk no later than Dec 30, 2017. In accordance with the approved schedule, the icebreaker will be laid down in Nov 2013 and launched in Nov 2015.

Volume of works includes technical documentation development, construction of the icebreaker (including integration of nuclear powerplant), fitting of the ship with all appropriate equipment, launching, dockside/sea/ice trials, and acceptance of the turnkey ship by state commission.

The Project 22220 icebreaker LK-60 will be the largest and the most powerful in the world. Her length will be 173.3 meters, beam – 34 meters, draft at design waterline – 10.5 meters, minimal working draft – 8.55 meters, displacement – 33,540 tons. The icebreaker will be powered by two nuclear reactors; basic steam source is 175-MW reactor plant RITM-200.

JSC Iceberg Design Bureau developed technical project of the nuclear-powered icebreaker in 2009. Dual-draft design makes possible to use the ship both in Arctic waters and in estuaries of polar rivers. The icebreaker will work in West Arctic – the Barents, the Pechora, the Kara seas, and shallow estuaries of the Yenisei River.

Baltiysky Zavod was established in 1856 by an Englishman named Mark McFerson. Through its 150-year history, the shipyard was privatized not once, but every time having faced financial problems it was nationalized again. Finally, late in 2011 the company again passed to state control represented by United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC).

To preserve work collective and expertise, it was decided to establish Baltiysky Zavod Shipbuilding Ltd within the USC. Most of employees passed to the new company. Being a strategic company, the new legal entity obtained shipbuilding and machine-building expertise. Main task of JSC Baltiysky Zavod now is to keep property in order and protect state interests in legal proceedings.

http://rusnavy.com/news/newsofday/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=16332

Don't know why, but my first thought was how much it looks like they are making a giant cake...

Glad to see some visible progress.