In May of this year, the Baltiysky Zavod will launch the third serial (fourth in a row) nuclear icebreaker of project 22220. The relevant information is available on the official website of the plant.

“On May 26, a technical laying of the third serial nuclear-powered icebreaker of project 22220 will take place at the Baltic Shipyard. The new icebreaker will be named“ Yakutia ”and will become the fourth nuclear-powered icebreaker of the series,” the plant said.

It is noted that the construction customer is FSUE Atomflot. This company is part of the state corporation Rosatom.

As explained in the press service of the Baltic Shipyard, calling the new icebreaker Yakutia, shipbuilders continued the existing Rosatomflot tradition.

“The name of the new icebreaker continues the tradition of naming the ships of Rosatomflot, according to which the names are chosen from the geographical names of the objects of the Northern Sea Route or repeat the names of the legendary Soviet nuclear-powered icebreakers of the Arctic type, decommissioned,” noted the Baltic Shipyard.

In addition, according to shipbuilders, this year construction of two more nuclear-powered ships of project 22220 will begin.

“Vessels of this type are distinguished by increased power. They are designed to establish movement along the Northern Sea Route (NSR). These nuclear powered ships will reliably ensure the operation of the route and the wiring of vessels, ”Viktor Boyarsky, polar explorer and candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, noted in an interview with RT.

According to him, today Russia needs a number of vessels of this class.

“For the reliable operation of the Northern Sea Route, it is necessary to increase the number of icebreakers. Often in severe weather conditions, an icebreaker alone is not enough to escort ships. Especially now, when huge gas carriers in size significantly exceed the icebreakers themselves. For their passage, several such atomic ships may be needed at once, so that the channel created in the ice can be supported, ”the expert explained.

  • Launch ceremony for the hull of the first serial nuclear-powered icebreaker LK-60Ya Sibir at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg
  • RIA News
  • © Anatoly Medved

"The most powerful in the world"

At present, the Baltiysky Zavod is constructing three nuclear-powered icebreakers of Project 22220: the Arctic, Siberia, and the Urals.

The leading vessel of this class - the "Arctic" - was laid down on November 5, 2013. Less than three years later, on June 16, 2016, he solemnly launched. In December 2019, “Arktika” successfully passed the first stage of testing, in the framework of which the course of the vessel was checked from standby diesel generators and an independent speed of six knots was achieved. In addition, the plant’s specialists tested the communication, navigation and home systems of the ship.

But in February, the tests were not so successful - one of the six engines broke down on the icebreaker. However, the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), Alexei Rakhmanov, in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper, emphasized that the Arctic is "this is research work, the lead ship, this did not exist in the world."

“Nothing catastrophic happened. You can do certain work on board, you can do certain work on the dock, we have all the technological moves written down: we understand what we will do in case A, B, C, ”Rakhmanov explained.

Recall that the first serial nuclear-powered icebreaker of project 22220 was the ship Siberia. The construction of this vessel began on May 26, 2015, it was launched on September 22, 2017. The second serial icebreaker of the project, “Ural”, was laid down on July 25, 2016. Last May, he was launched.

Since 2009, the Central Design Bureau (TsKB) “Iceberg” (St. Petersburg) has been developing the project 22220.

According to experts, a significant advantage of the icebreakers of this series is a two-draft design, which makes it possible to use them both in Arctic waters and in the mouths of polar rivers.

The length of the nuclear powered ships is 173.3 m, the width is 34 m, the side height is 15.2 m, and the displacement is 33.54 thousand tons. The vessel data is controlled by a crew of 52 people. The life of the icebreakers of project 22220 reaches 40 years. 

  • The second of the two steam generating units (PHB), included in the RITM-200 reactor, is installed on the Project 22220 lead nuclear icebreaker “Arktika”
  • RIA News
  • © Press Service of Baltic Shipbuilding Plant LLC

As noted on the site of the Baltic Shipyard, Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers of Project 22220 "will become the largest and most powerful icebreakers in the world." They are equipped with a two-reactor power plant based on the RITM-200 nuclear reactor with a capacity of 175 MW, which was developed by the Nizhny Novgorod Design Bureau named after I. I. Afrikantov and produced at the ZiO-Podolsk machine-building plant.

Compared to previous models of this type of reactor plants, the RITM-200 has increased the life of the equipment. In addition, it is distinguished by increased security, which is achieved through the use of "passive and self-working systems and safety devices." They limit the "adverse effect of failures of external systems, energy sources, personnel errors", as noted in the materials of OKBM.

The manufacturer notes that the universal icebreakers of project 22220 are designed for year-round escort of ships and caravans in the Western Arctic, in the shallow areas of the Yenisei (Duda direction) and the Gulf of Ob, to assist ships and perform rescue operations in ice conditions and in clear water, as well as towing various watercraft. At the same time, the maximum thickness of the ice cover that such an icebreaker can overcome with continuous speed at a speed of 1.5–2 knots (2.78–3.7 km / h) is 2.8 m.

“Strategic and long-term project”

According to experts, the icebreakers of project 22220 will have to play one of the key roles in arranging transport along the Northern Sea Route. In December 2019, the government approved a plan for the development of the NSR infrastructure until 2035. It was developed by Rosatom, the infrastructure operator of the Northern Sea Route.

In addition to the construction of icebreakers of type 22220, the plan provides for the creation of nuclear-powered icebreakers of the Leader project, hydrographic and towing vessels.

In addition, the document includes a provision on the development of a system of “centralized operational and tactical management of year-round shipping throughout the Northern Sea Route based on the creation of a single dispatch center for shipping management."

Also, during the implementation of this plan, a number of airports will be reconstructed in the regions adjacent to the NSR, including Yakutia, the Chukotka and the Nenets Autonomous Districts, as well as the Arctic complex emergency rescue centers of the Russian Emergencies Ministry equipped with equipment adapted to the Arctic climate.

Also, when creating a strategy for the development of the NSR, much attention was paid to the introduction of digital technologies in the organization of transportation. In particular, the document provides for the provision of "transport and logistics services for transportation along the Northern Sea Route on the basis of a digital platform for paperless electronic processing of multimodal transportation of passengers and goods."

To improve navigation along the NSR, it is planned to put into orbit a number of special satellites. So, by 2025, the Arctic-M hydrometeorological space system should be deployed, which will provide “federal executive bodies and organizations with high-resolution satellite hydrometeorological data on the polar region of the Earth.”

During the forum “The Arctic - the Territory of Dialogue” in April 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the NSR provides carriers with enormous advantages, since it is shorter than other similar routes. So, according to him, the sea route from Yokohama to Rotterdam (12 thousand km) will take 33 days, and along the Northern Sea Route (7.3 thousand km) - only 20 days.

  • Ship in the East Siberian Sea
  • RIA News
  • © Mikhail Fomichev

"The savings are colossal - both in fuel and in time, so it (the Northern Sea Route. - RT ), of course, will be very attractive," Putin believes.

The Russian leader also added that the Russian Federation in the foreseeable future is able to significantly increase the volume of transport traffic on the NSR.

“In the message to the Federal Assembly of 2018, it was already noted that it is in our power to significantly increase the volume of cargo transportation along the Northern Route to 80 million tons by 2025. Even 10-15 years ago, this figure seemed completely unattainable. Now this is a realistic, calculated and substantive task. According to the results of last year, the volume of traffic along the Northern Route reached 20 million tons, ”Putin said, speaking at the Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg.

According to experts, the Northern Sea Corridor may become one of the most used transport arteries in the world.

“This route may accumulate a large cargo flow between Europe and the states of the Asian region in the future, therefore, many countries of the world are potentially interested in its development. Its significance will also grow due to climatic changes that result in ice melting, which means that the NSR will be available for shipping more and more time a year, ”Oleg Alexandrov, Associate Professor of the Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy of Russia, told RT in an interview .

The analyst added that over the years, the significance of the Northern Sea Route will only grow.

“The enormous international significance of this route as an international polar route will increase, there is every chance for this. And now we must actively prepare for this, develop the infrastructure and improve the necessary technologies, ”said Alexandrov.

According to him, in recent years, much has been done in Russia in this direction, thanks to which it has managed to create a certain backlog, which other countries in the region do not have.

“We are increasing port capacities and developing infrastructure along the entire Northern Sea Route. Icebreakers are being built at the shipyards to replace the departing ships that were created back in the Soviet Union. These are all stages of the development of the Northern Sea Route and the implementation of the Arctic policy of Russia. This is a strategic and long-term project that can bring us considerable benefits, ”the expert concluded.