The Moskva to serve St. Petersburg

On December 11 Baltiysky Zavod shipyard delivered the first diesel-electric icebreaker ever built in the Russian Federation to the customer, RosMorPort FSUE. The Moskva is a head icebreaker of the project 21900 within the framework of which one more icebreaker is do be delivered in 2009. According to the heads of Russia’s transport sector, the event marks the revival of national shipbuilding in the sphere of icebreakers, which is to reinforce Russia’s positions in the Arctic.

First diesel-electric icebreaker

The ceremony of signing the delivery document by Andrei Fomichev, Director General of Baltiysky Zavod (St. Petersburg) and Yuri Parfeonov, head of RosMorPort FSUEwaas held at the vessel’s helicopter deck on December 11, 2008. Russian flag was hoisted at the vessel in the course of the ceremony. The vessel’s home port is St. Petersburg. The Moskva is to be deployed for icebreaking assistance in winter navigation of 2008 in the Gulf of Finland. As Oleg Tolkachev, member of the Federation Council put tit at the ceremony, the capital of Russia will take the vessel under its patronage and the icebreaker will also get the flag of the city.
Neither of Russia’s sea basins can exist without icebreaking assistance. According to Russia’s Federal Agency of Marine and River Transport, RF Transport Ministry, there are about forty operating icebreakers in Russia. Murmansk Shipping Company LLC, Far East Shipping Company OJSC and RosMorPort FSUE are beneficial owners, leaseholders or economic managers of those icebreakers. Average age of the majorityoficebreakers exceeds 25 years. The deficit is already felt and by 2015 when many old vessels will be disposed against doubling cargo flow in freezing basins the deficit is likely to be critical. To ensure cargo transportation growth in Russia and balanced cargo transportation throughout a year as well as safe navigation it is necessary to build new powerful icebreakers.
That is why the delivery of the Moskva icebreaker, the first icebreaker with a diesel-electric power plant to be built at a Russian shipyard in 34 years, is a significant event. Earlier all Russia's non-nuclear icebreakers were built abroad, mainly in Finland.
This 16-MWt icebreaker is a multifunctional vessel: designed to escort large-capacity tankers of up to 50 meters in breadth, to salvage and rescue ships caught in ice floes, to clean up oil and chemicals spills in open sea, and to fight fires on board ships.
The icebreaker is a double-decker with a helicopter deck. The vessel’s displacement is about 10 thousand tons, length 116 m, beam 26.5 m, draft 8.5 m, speed in open water 17 knots. Complement is 25 men. The hull of the icebreaker is designed to break the ice of over 1 meter in thickness. According to the representatives of Baltiysky Zavod, the hull is designed with consideration of new technological developments applied to decrease consumption of energy for icebreaking and to improve the vessel’s performance. Two full-revolving steerable propellers ensure improved maneuverability of the vessel.

Waiting for Sankt-Peterburg

Baltiysky Zavod won an international tender for construction of the series of line icebreaker in 2004. The icebreaker was designed by specialists of Baltiysky Zavod with participation of design bureau Baltsudoproekt.
In 2004, RosMorPort FSUE started financing of the construction from its own and raised funds until the decision on state financing was not taken.
Currently the construction of the series of icebreakers being built by Baltiysky Zavod is being fully finances by the state budget within the framework of the Program on Modernization of Russia’s Transport System (2002-2010) and the Program on Development of Russia’s Transport System (2010 -2015) from January 1, 2010. The two vessels of the series are valued at RUR 6 billion.
Besides, the programs envisage construction of three 25- MWt diesel icebreakers. The construction is to commence in 2009.

The second vessel of project 21900, the Sankt-Petersburg icebreaker is under sea trials now. Itsdelivery to the customer is scheduled for 2009. According to Aleksandr Davydenko, head of Russia’s Federal Agency of Marine and River Transport, two new icebreakers, Moskva and Sankt-Petersburg, will completely satisfy the demand of the port of St. Petersburg for icebreaking assistance.
Artur Chilingarov, deputy of RF State Duma, who was appointed special representative of RF President on international cooperation in Arctic and Antarctic on December 10, noted the series would be continued. According to him, an official program for icebreaking fleet development is likely to be approved in the nearest future.

Information:
RosMorPort FSUE was established on May 15, 2003 according to the Government Decree dated September 25. The company was incorporated by the RF Government, RosMorRechTrans and Federal Property Management Agency. RosMorPort operates federal property in Russia’s seaports. RosMorPort FSUE comprises 19 branches, the competence of which covers 521 berths in 43 ports of Russia. The fleet of RosMorPort numbers 222 vessels including 22 icebreakers.
Baltiysky Zavod, JSC is one of the leading enterprises in the Russian shipbuilding industry (member of United Shipbuilding Corporation). Currently the Baltiysky Zavod shipyard specializes in construction of icebreakers and ice-classed vessels (with nuclear-powered propulsion, as well as conventionally powered), large commercial vessels for carrying various types of cargo, and naval ships. The company also manufactures a wide range of marine propulsion equipment and machinery for equipping ships built at the shipyard, as well as for supplying other yards. Baltiysky Zavod also manufactures heat exchanges for nuclear power plants and is a major producer of non-ferrous and core-mould castings. In 1974-1990 the shipyard built a series of nuclear icebreakers of Arctic type. The world’s largest nuclear icebreaker 50 let Pobedy was built in 2007. 

Mariya Favorskaya