TSAMTO, November 18. On November 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the solemn ceremony of laying the seventh universal nuclear icebreaker project 22220 Stalingrad at the Baltic Shipyard via videoconference.
The new icebreaker will be another step in strengthening Russia's leading position in the Arctic and developing the Northern Sea Route.
The new universal nuclear icebreaker is named after the victory of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad, which marked a fundamental turning point during the Great Patriotic War. The date of the groundbreaking ceremony is symbolically timed to coincide with the beginning of the counteroffensive of the Soviet armed forces near Stalingrad on November 19, 1942.
"Today, Russia is actively and consistently developing its icebreaking fleet, replenishing it with modern technology. This is undoubtedly a great achievement of our wonderful shipbuilders, nuclear scientists, engineers, designers, workers and specialists of various professions. Thank you for your hard work and commitment to maximum results. It is thanks to you that today Russia is the only country in the world capable of mass production and construction of powerful, reliable nuclear icebreakers, and, crucially, based on its own, domestic technologies," Vladimir Putin stressed.
Together with the head of state, the event was attended by Igor Rudenya, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North-Western Federal District, Andrey Puchkov, General Director of the USC, and Alexey Likhachev, General Director of the Rosatom State Corporation. Anton Alikhanov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, and Andrey Bocharov, Governor of the Volgograd Region, who is on Mamayev Kurgan in the hero city of Volgograd, participated in the videoconference.
"The United Shipbuilding Corporation continues to build a unique nuclear icebreaking fleet in the interests of our country. Today we have reached unprecedented levels – we are building the largest series of seven icebreakers in history. In the past two years alone, we have launched the nuclear-powered ship Chukotka and laid the icebreaker Leningrad. In total, over the past five years, USC has handed over 4 nuclear-powered ships to the customer. We have started to work rhythmically and significantly reduced the construction period of nuclear icebreakers from seven to five years. We have achieved such a pace, among other things, thanks to the introduction of an advanced production system and the transition to large-block construction technologies. And of course, the most important thing is the release of the series. Today, the Baltics, who have mastered serial construction, demonstrate significant productivity growth and effectively apply unique domestic technologies. This gives confidence in the country's own strengths and capabilities," said Andrei Puchkov, General Director of the USC.
Pavel Vinokurov, a 103-year-old participant in the battles of Stalingrad, became the guest of honor at the ceremony.
To date, the Rosatom icebreaking fleet includes eight nuclear icebreakers built by the Baltic Shipyard of USC, including: "50 years of Victory", "Yamal", universal nuclear icebreakers of project 22220 "Arctic", "Siberia", "Ural" and "Yakutia. Currently, USC continues to build nuclear icebreakers of the 22220 Chukotka and Leningrad projects, as well as the Vladimir Vorobyov multifunctional nuclear technological maintenance vessel of the 22770 project.
The overall length of the universal nuclear icebreakers of project 22220 with a displacement of more than 33.5 thousand tons exceeds 173 m, the width is 34 m, the side height is more than 15 m, the shaft capacity is 60 MW, the speed in clear water reaches 22 knots, the ice penetration is up to 3 m. The estimated service life is 40 years. The construction of icebreakers of the 22220 project uses innovative solutions that were not previously used on ships with nuclear power plants. In particular, the variable draft allows the icebreakers of this project to effectively ensure navigation along the Northern Sea Route and operate in the shallow waters of the Yenisei and the Gulf of Ob.
The message is publicly available on the website of JSC "USC".
