January 25 2022
On January 25, 2022, the state flag of the Russian Federation was raised on the ‘Sibir’ (‘Siberia’) multi-purpose nuclear icebreaker of project 22220., the press service of FSUE “Atomflot” reports.
The flag raising ceremony in Murmansk was attended by Mr. Vyacheslav Ruksha, Deputy General Director of “Rosatom” State Corporation – Head of the NSR Directorate, Mr. Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, Mr. Mustafa Kashka, General Director of FSUE “Atomflot”, Mr. Alexei Kadilov, General Director of “Baltiysky Zavod” shipyard and others.
“Only new icebreakers and ships can make the NSR a real road for our megaprojects in the Arctic zone. I am sure that in the coming decades the NSR will become the Russian route to India,” said Vyacheslav Ruksha.
Mustafa Kashka noted that the lead nuclear icebreaker of this class, ‘Arktika’ was already operating in the NSR Eastern sector, stressing that navigation in this sector usually stopped in November. “But the commissioning of Project 22220 icebreakers opens up new prospects for the development of the NSR. These nuclear-powered ships are the future of “Rosatomflot”, he said.
The keel-laying of “Sibir” project 22220 nuclear icebreaker took place on May 26, 2015 in St.Petersburg. The vessel was launched on September 22, 2017. On December 24, 2021, an act on the transfer of the icebreaker to “Atomflot” was signed on board the ship in St.Petersburg. On January 13, 2022, the new icebreaker left the outfitting embankment of JSC “Baltiysky Zavod” shipyard for her home port of Murmansk. On January 22, the vessel arrived at the berths of FSUE “Atomflot”.
Project 22220 multi-purpose nuclear icebreakers are the largest and most powerful in the world. Their main task is to provide year-round navigation in the Western sector of the Arctic. The main characteristics of the vessel: power – 60 MW (on shafts); speed – 22 knots (in clear water); length – 173.3 m (160 m on DWL); width – 34 m (33 m on DWL); height – 52 m; draft – 10.5 m / 8.65 m; maximum ice penetration – 2.8 m; total displacement – 33,540 tons; the designated service life is 40 years. The icebreaker is equipped with a two-reactor power plant with the main source of steam from a new-generation RITM-200 reactor plant with a capacity of 175 MW, specially designed for this vessel.
The technical design of this project was developed by the “Iceberg” Central Design Bureau in 2009.
The construction of three more project 22220 nuclear icebreakers, ‘Ural’, ‘Yakutia’ and ‘Chukotka’ continues in St.Petersburg.