Russia launches new icebreaker

By Tom Eddershaw - June 16, 2016.

The Russian Defence Ministry-commissioned icebreaker ‘Ilya Muromets’ has been floated out at Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg, Russia.

According to the Defence Ministry, the ‘Ilya Muromets’ will be the first icebreaker to be built in Russia in 40 years.

Construction is expected to finish towards the end of 2017 having begun in April 2015.

The diesel-electric icebreaker has an endurance of 60 days, a cruising range of 12,000 nautical miles, and can carry a crew of 32 people.

The 84-metre vessel has a draught of seven metres and can break ice up to 1.5 metres thick.