Nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika leaves for final sea trials
The ship will be delivered to the customer upon completion of the tests
The lead nuclear-powered icebreaker of Project 22220, the Arktika, has left Saint-Petersburg for the last phase of sea trials today, 23 June 2020, says Rosatomflot.
For three weeks in the Baltic Sea the ship will undergo testing of its mechanisms and equipment including electric propulsion unit, navigation equipment and rescue facilities as well as maneuvering performance.
The ship is built by Baltiysky Zavod shipyard under the order of State Corporation “Rosatom”. The shipyard plans the icebreaker to be put into operation in 2020.
The lead icebreaker of Project 22220, the Arktika, ordered by State Corporation “Rosatom” was laid down at Baltiysky Zavod shipyard on 5 November 2013 and launched on 16 June 2016.
General characteristics of 22220 Project vessels: capacity - 60 MW, operational speed - 22 knots (clean water), length - 173.3 m (160 m, DWL), beam - 34 m (33 m, DWL), depth - 15.2 m; draft (DWL) - 10.5 m; minimum draft - 8.65 m, maximum icebreaking capability - 2.9-meter-thick ice (at full capacity and speed of 1.5-2 knots); full displacement – 33,540 tonnes; designated service life - 40 years, crew - 53.
Nuclear-powered icebreakers of Project 22220 are equipped with two RITM-200 reactors of 175 MW. Project 22220 ships will be the world’s largest and most powerful nuclear-powered icebreakers (60MW). The vessels’ dual-draft concept allows for operating them both in the Arctic and in the mouths of the polar rivers.
The icebreaker will be powered by two RITM-200 reactors. RITM-200 is a two-reactor plant developed by Afrikantov OKBM specially for the icebreaking fleet. Each reactor has a heat rate of 175 MW. RITM-200 reactor design features energy-efficient integrated layout, which enables the placement of the main equipment directly inside the steam generating unit's casing. The vessels dual-draft concept and capability will allow operating them both in the Arctic and in the mouths of the polar rivers.
The icebreakers designed by CDB Iceberg in 2009 will be operated in the western region of the Arctic: in the Barents, Pechora and Kara Seas, as well as in shallower areas of the Yenisei estuary and the Ob Bay area.
Arktika is named after an earlier nuclear-powered icebreaker, the first surface ship that reached the North Pole.
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