Russia's state-owned Baltic Shipyard recently laid the keel of a new Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreaker ordered by local energy company Rotasom.
Stalingrad is the fifth vessel to be built under Project 22220. The name was chosen to commemorate the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II.
The Project 22220 ships were originally designed in the 1990s to replace Russia's ageing fleet of icebreakers, nearly all of which were still dependent on 1960s technology.
Design work on Stalingrad and her sisters progressed to the point that they became the largest vessels of their kind ever built, with each vessel displacing approximately 33,000 tonnes and measuring 173.3 metres long and 34 metres wide.
Like her sisters, Stalingrad was built to have a service life of 40 years and its main area of operations will encompass the Arctic regions off Russia.
Power for the vessel will be provided by a pair of pressurised water reactors, each with a rated output of 175 MWt. The reactors will operate on 20 per cent enriched Uranium-235 and will have sufficient fuel for seven years of operations, ensuring fewer downtimes for refueling.
Resupply of the onboard provisions can meanwhile be done every six months, enabling extended icebreaking periods along vital sea lanes even during winter.
Onboard space will be available for 54 crewmembers and 21 other personnel. There will also be a helicopter deck with hangar.
