The Russian Government has issued a decree ordering that the deadline for the commissioning of a new nuclear-powered icebreaker be moved to 2027.
The decree covers the delivery of the Project 22220 icebreaker Chukotka, which is being built by United Shipbuilding Corporation's Baltic Shipyard for state-owned atomic energy company Rosatom.
The Project 22220 vessels are the largest icebreakers ever built with each one measuring more than 173 metres long and displacing approximately 33,000 tonnes. Two examples, Arktika and Sibir, are already operational with Rosatom.
Chukotka is the fifth in the Project 22220 series, which was designed to have a projected service life of 40 years.
Late last month, Rosatom said that Chukotka is now 85.5 per cent complete while sister ship Leningrad is 31.45 per cent complete. The company had set completion targets of 85.1 per cent and 30.05 per cent, respectively, for the two ships by May 2026.
Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev remarked that loading of Chukotka's nuclear fuel is scheduled to be completed before the end of this month.