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The Baltic Plant in St. Petersburg, which has already built three icebreakers of the 22220 project, is preparing to launch the fourth nuclear-powered vessel of this project. This was reported in the press service of the company.
The Yakutia icebreaker of project 22220 is planned to be launched on November 18, i.e. on Friday next week. After the ceremony, where Deputy Head of the Government of the Russian Federation Victoria Abramchenko will act as the godmother of the icebreaker, the vessel will be delivered to the completion wall of the Baltic Plant, where it will be completed.
The fact that the Yakutia is being prepared for launching was reported back in August of this year, when the formation of the ice hull was completed on the nuclear-powered vessel, shipbuilders loaded a section of the stem. As explained in the press service, the ice belt is a zone about three meters wide, which is the maximum load when breaking ice. Sections of this zone are assembled from high-strength steel with a thickness of 40 millimeters.
Yakutia is the fourth icebreaker in the series and the third serial. It was laid on May 26, 2020 on the day of the 164th anniversary of the Baltic Plant. The lead icebreaker of the project 22220 "Arctic", which gave the name to the entire series, is already operating in the North, as is the first serial "Siberia". The second serial Ural is preparing to transfer to Murmansk, where the transfer ceremony to the customer will take place, the icebreaker tests have been completed. The fourth serial icebreaker of the Chukotka project was laid at the end of 2020. It is planned that Yakutia will be delivered to the customer in 2024, and Chukotka in 2027, but these are preliminary deadlines.
A feature of the project 22220 icebreakers is the use of variable draft using ballast tanks. Two-landing ships can operate both in deep water and in shallow water in riverbeds, overcoming ice up to 3 meters thick without loss of speed. According to the design data, the new icebreakers are the largest and most powerful in the world.
