Nuclear icebreaker Rossija completes operation in Baltic Sea
On April 8, 2013, nuclear icebreaker Rossija completed its operation in the Baltic Sea, FSUE Atomflot says in its press release. According to the company’s press center, the icebreaker escorted 355 large capacity tankers towards the ports of the Gulf of Finland under the contract with FSUE Rosmorport.
The icebreaker is currently on her way to Murmansk. The voyage is expected to take 6-7 days depending on the weather.
“We have already passed all the customs and border procedures but have not completed our work yet – on the way home we will escort one more tanker towards the Gotland island”, the icebreaker’s Captain Oleg Shchapin said.
This year the contract for icebreaking assistance in the Gulf of Finland was signed with Rosmorport for 90 days, from January 16 till April 16 including the time needed to arrive in the home port.
Upon arrival in the home port the Rossija will undergo special procedure at the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and then she will take her way to the White Sea, where the nuclear icebreaker Yamal is now operating under contract with Novatek OJSC at the direction towards Vitino port.
It is the third year of Rosatomflot icebreakers to operate in the Gulf of Finland. First was the Vaygach icebreaker which was deployed for operation in the Baltic Sea in winter 2011. It escorted 258 vessels over 51 days of uninterrupted work. In 2012, 322 tankers were assisted in the Baltic Sea by two nuclear icebreakers - 50 Let Pobedy and Rossija with (137 and 185 vessels respectively).
