George1 Fri Apr 24, 2015 8:01 am
Ilya Muromets ice-breaker for Russian Navy to be laid down in St. Petersburg
It will be used to provide ice-breaker support, to deploy forces in conditions of heavy ice and to tug warships
ST. PETERSBURG, April 23. /TASS/. The Ilya Muromets diesel-and electric-powered icebreaker, the lead ship of project 21180 for the Russian Navy, will be laid down at St Petersburg’s Admiralteiskie Verfi shipyard on Thursday.
The first auxiliary ship of that type will be built for the Russian Northern Fleet. It will be used to provide ice-breaker support, to deploy forces in conditions of heavy ice and to tug warships.
The Ilya Muromets will have a displaceent of 6,000 tonnes. It will be capable of making a two-month autonomous voyage to a distance of up to 12,000 nautical miles with a crew of 32. The vessel will be capable of moving through 80-centimetre thinck ice.
Earlier, CEO of Russia’s United Ship-building Corporation, Alexei Rakhamnov, said a series of ice-breakers of that type could be built under the programme for the overhaul of Russia’s Arctic auxiliary fleet.
Russia’s Navy Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov, in turn, said the group of the Russian Navy in the Arctic would receive a universal ship capable of simultaneously performing the functions of an icebreaker, an ocean tug and a patrol ship. "A decision was made to design and build - in the middle-term prospect - a universal ship of a new generation, with possibilities of a fleet tug, icebreaker and patrol ship at the same time," Chirkov said. "This universality will allow the ship to fulfil a broad range of tasks in the Arctic area. We are going to produce the outlines of its design this year.".