Flag-hoisting ceremony held for Ob icebreaker in Murmansk
Flag-hoisting ceremony has been held for the new port icebreaker, Ob, Vyborg Shipyard (Leningrad Region) told IAA PortNews.
Official signing of the acceptance/delivery certificate for the Ob icebreaker was held on 18 October 2019. The document was signed by representatives of FSUE Atomflot (a company of Rosatom Corporation), and Vyborg Shipyard at the premises of the shipbuilding company. Yesterday, the new icebreaker arrived in Murmansk and FSUE Atomflot, the customer, has held the flag-raising ceremony today, 5 November 2019.
In the nearest future, the Ob will leave for Sabetta, the permanent base of the new icebreaker. The key task of the ship is to escort vessels carrying liquefied natural gas along the access canal and in the water area of port Sabetta on the Yamal peninsula, where an LNG plant is being built under the Yamal LNG project.
Diesel-electric icebreaker Ob is a flagship of the Portoflot (Port Fleet) project.
Vessel’s characteristics: length – 89.2 m, breadth – 21.9 m; draught – 7.5 m. The power plant consists of three medium-speed main generating sets and a separate harbor generator. Four ice strengthened azimuth propulsion units, each with a shaft output of 3000 kW, provide a bollard pull of 115 tons. With two azimuth propulsion units in the bow and two units in the stern of the vessel, the icebreaker can maneuver efficiently in any direction.
36 months passed from the keel-laying of the lead ship of Aker ARC 124 design till its delivery to the customer. The Port Fleet project is a new activity of FSUE Atomflot which covered the construction of Pur, Tambey, Nadym and Yuribey tugboats as well as port icebreaker Ob.
Operation in Arctic ports requires special skills and special vessels. FSUE Atomflot operates a state-of-the-art fleet involving seafarers whose professional competence has been confirmed by successful operation in the Arctic.
As of today, the company offers a full range of port services in the water area of port Sabetta. Port fleet, together with nuclear-powered icebreakers, assists gas carriers with cargo capacity of over 170,000 cbm.
The icebreaker will be owned and operated by FSUE Atomflot under a package contract on escorting of vessels and servicing of the water area at port Sabetta within the framework of Yamal LNG project. The contract signed in November 2014 covers the period up to December 31, 2040.
