Russian Navy's second Project 23550 icebreaking patrol ship hits the water

Russia's Admiralty Shipyards, a division under state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation, has launched the second Project 23550 or Ivan Papanin-class icebreaking patrol ship ordered by the Russian Navy.

The vessel is named Nikolay Zubov after Russian naval officer and Arctic explorer Nikolay Nikolaevich Zubov. Its area of operations will be Russian Arctic waters, particularly the Northern Sea Route.

In addition to being used for patrol and icebreaking duties, the Project 23550 vessels will have a secondary towing capability and may also be used for ship escort and scientific research missions.

Upon completion, the 114.5- by 20-metre, 9,000-tonne Nikolay Zubov will be capable of breaking through 1.7-metre-thick ice. Space will be available for a helicopter, a Project 23321 landing hovercraft, and two Project 03160 high-speed boats for interception and boarding.

Armament will include a 76mm naval gun, Kalibr surface-to-surface missiles, and surface-to-air missiles.

Nikolay Zubov is scheduled to be handed over to the Russian Navy in 2025.