Baltiysky Zavod has won an open tender for the construction of the next two LK-60 nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 for the Russian State Corporation Rosatom.
The contract for the first LK-60 icebreaker, worth approx $ 1.2 billion was signed back in August 2013.
These new icebreakers, whose detailed design was developed by CDB Aisberg in 2009, will be among the largest and most powerful in the world.
Based on their technical characteristics, the “universal” nuclear icebreakers are double-draught ships capable of operating in both the Northern Sea Route lines and rivers of the Arctic region.
Owing to a greater width (34 m) than that of the existing icebreakers (30 m), the universal icebreakers will be able to steer tankers of up to 70,000 tons displacement in the Arctic.
The lead vessel of the series Arktika will use a new generation RITM-200 reactor, designed by ROSATOM’s Nizhniy Novgorod-based OKBM Afrikantov, delivering about 60 MWe of power to the ship’s propellers. The first 60 megawatt capacity icebreaker is already under construction at the shipyard with the delivery scheduled for late 2017.
Delivery of the second and third vessel should be completed before 2020.
[mappress] World Maritime News Staff, May 12, 2014