Russia's Almaz Shipbuilding Company has launched the future Svyatogor (Святогор), a diesel-electric icebreaker slated for the Russian Navy.
The vessel is the second icebreaker to be built to the Project 21180M design. She will be assigned to the Northern Fleet following commissioning.
The icebreaker was laid down on September 1, 2023. Defence sector sources had told local news outlet Izvestia in March 2023 that delivery was expected by the end of 2027, though they said the schedule could slip.
Upon completion, Svyatogor will have a length of 82 metres, a beam of 19 metres, a draught of 4.6 metres, and a maximum displacement of approximately 4,080 tonnes. The design will allow continuous navigation through ice up to one metre thick.
The Project 21180M icebreakers’ tasks will include include escorting naval ships through ice, towing, patrolling the near-Arctic zone, and supplying remote shore bases.
Izvestia earlier reported that the vessels’ shallower draughts would allow them to enter the ports of Tiksi and Dikson.
Svyatogor will be fitted with azimuthing propulsion units, a bow thruster, and a landing platform for a Ka-27 or similar helicopter.
The Project 21180M series was developed by Vympel Design Bureau as smaller, lower-cost variants of the Project 21180 icebreaker. That earlier design produced Ilya Muromets, which was delivered in 2017 and has a seven-metre draught.
The lead Project 21180M vessel, Evpatiy Kolovrat (pictured), was accepted by the navy in June 2024. She is currently assigned to the Pacific Fleet.
