Nuclear icebreaker ‘Arktika’ launched

A nuclear-powered icebreaker, the ‘Arktika’, has been launched at Baltic Shipyard in St Petersburg, Russia.

The ship, with a displacement of 33,500 tonnes, is 173 metres long and 34 metres wide, and will be able to reach speeds of up to 22 knots.

The vessel will be able to pilot convoys of vessels in arctic conditions, breaking ice up to three metres thick.

The ‘Arktika’ is the first of three vessels to be launched as part of Russia’s nuclear ice-breaker fleet renewal.

It is expected to be delivered to FSUE Atomflot by the end of 2017.

The icebreaker will be operated in the Barents Sea, Pechora Sea and Kara Sea, as well as in shallow water of the Yenisei estuary and in the area of the Gulf of Ob.