The version for the print

  • 2013 April 1

    Ice-covered Russia

    The feature of Russia’s port industry is that the majority of the country's ports are freezing ones. This makes the maintenance of a considerable icebreaking fleet an urgent necessity. State-owned company Rosmorport, which is in charge of safe operation of all Russian ports, has consolidated a fleet of diesel-electric icebreakers. These are the vessels that ensure smooth shipping in Russian harbours during winters.The information about their work was presented at the international exhibition “CITL – logistic solutions” in Paris.

    In the last few years, Rosmorport has done a lot, including significant funds, for renovation and restoration of the performance capabilities of a large number of different vessels (over 200), the company had taken over, including icebreakers.

    In 2004, Rosmorport signed time charter agreements, including a purchase option with shipowners for three diesel-powered icebreakers Thor, Karu and Yury Lisyansky. Thanks to this and other measures undertaken by Rosmorport to beef up its icebreaking fleet, the company has been providing, since the 2005 winter shipping season, icebreaking services in the ports of the Gulf of Finland.

    That same year, the senior management of Rosmorport decided to invest the company’s funds in the design and construction of new 16MW diesel-powered Baltic sea-going icebreakers (Project 21900). In the initial stage of the ambitious project, Rosmorport had invested RUB 1.4 billion. Then, (as from Dec. 2005) the newbuilds construction was financed through the federal budget. This ensured on-schedule completion, delivery and commissioning of two diesel-powered liner icebreakers «Moscow» and «St. Petersburg,» in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

    In 2008, Rosmorport took delivery and commissioned into service two linear icebreakers “Captain Nikolaev” and “Captain Dranitsin” (home port of Murmansk). In 2008–2012, the Captain Dranitsin successfully completed its mission assisting to several scientific expeditions in the Arctic.

    In 2011, Rosmorport earmarked its own funds for the naval engineering design of a new 17.4MW diesel-powered liner icebreaker of Project 21900M.

    Presently, Rosmorport operates a fleet of 29 diesel-electric icebreakers (not counting the chartered vessels in Vanino and Magadan in the Far East). The vessels provide icebreaking assistance in the winter shipping season upon request in all ports.

    The icebreakers deployment plan is approved before each winter navigational period. The most powerful icebreakers are deployed to operate at the ports of St. Petersburg, Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Vysotsk as the heaviest ice conditions are observed in the Gulf of Finland, where the strategically important Russian ports are based. Sometimes, to expand the fleet Rosmorport would get involved a nuclear-powered icebreaker based in Murmansk. In the 2012–13 winter shipping season, Rosmorport deployed its own 14 diesel-electric icebreakers and one chartered nuclear-powered icebreaker to operate in the Gulf of Finland.

    Besides, the last two winters have shown that the Sea of Azov in Russia’s southern region may also be ice-covered by sever frost. But Rosmorpot’s icebreakers and icebreaking tugs are set to operate there as well.

    The icebreaking service is also required in the Caspian Sea, although to a lesser extent and Rosmorport deploys four icebreakers there to assist shipping.

    There are icebreakers and icebreaking tugs providing icebreaking assistance in the Far Eastern basin. The vessels are chartered by Rosmorport from different owners: the FESCO owned icebreakers Admiral Makarov, the Krasin, the Capitan Khlebnikov (charted to perform occasional escorts of ship convoys to/from Vanino port), the icebreaker Magadan (convoy escort to/from the port of Magadan), icebreaking tugs chartered from CJSC Daltransugol (to lead ships to/from Vanino port, Muchka Bay) and some tugboats of Commercial Port of Vladivostok (Vanino port, Muchka Bay).

    However, it becomes evident that the existing icebreaking fleet is not sufficient any more and needs to be expanded with new vessels. In this regard, the Russian government has made a decision on funding the construction of new powerful icebreakers. So, Rosmorport in conjunction with Rosmorrechflot and the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, on December 2, 2011 signed with the state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) four state contracts for the design and construction of one 25MW diesel-powered linear icebreaker and three 16 MW diesel-powered linear icebreakers. The contracts are valued at RUB 20.2215 billion. The newbuildings delivery is scheduled for 2015. Keel-laying and fabrication of the icebreakers have already started at the yards of the USC.

    Nadezhda Malysheva, Vitaly Chernov

 All relevant topics...