Operating nuclear-powered ships of Russia - who is working in the ice today

There is only one nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet in the world, owned by the Russian Federation. Its task is to ensure the functioning of the main transport Arctic communication of the Russian Federation in high latitudes - the Northern Sea Route (NSR). It is a profitable alternative to the longer route linking Europe and Asian countries via Suez. In the latter case, ships need to travel over 12 nautical miles in at least 37 days. The path through the Arctic is less than 6 thousand miles, the time spent on the transition is 18 days.





The route along the NSR involves escorting with the help of an icebreaker. What ships in Russia today are engaged in this difficult task?

"Siberia" and "Arctic"

These are Project 22220 ships equipped with a nuclear (by the way, it can be considered serial) reactor "RITM-200", which produces 81,5 thousand "horses". The first in 2015 on the stocks of the Baltic Shipyard in the "Northern Palmyra" laid the "Siberia". Already in 2017, the ship was launched. On January 25.01.2022 this year, the vessel arrived in Murmansk, and on January XNUMX, XNUMX, the icebreaker officially became part of Atomflot.


Its predecessor - "namesake" was put into operation in 1977 and developed 75 thousand liters. With. This is the second ship after the Soviet "Arktika" to reach the North Pole. In 1993, due to a breakdown of the steam generator, the ship was mothballed and prepared for disposal. The ship, which was laid up, was used to practice the actions of the special services in the event that the nuclear-powered ship was captured by terrorists.


Today it is a two-draught vessel capable of making its way in the Arctic latitudes and shallow waters at the mouths of Siberian rivers. Technical specifications:

✅ length, width, side height - 174, 34 and 15,2 meters, respectively
✅ power plant - 81,5 thousand liters. With. or 60 MW
✅ displacement - 33,54 thousand tons
✅ clear water speed - 22 knots
✅ number of crew members - 54 sailors



The second “double” ship of this series is called “Arktika” and was officially put into operation on 21.10.2020/2012/2016. The ship was built for a long time - it was laid down in 74, launched in XNUMX. One of the reasons is the rupture of ties with Ukraine, which supplied components and assemblies to nuclear icebreakers. The technical characteristics of the Russian vessel are almost identical to those indicated for the above-mentioned "Siberia". Is that the number of crew more and is XNUMX people.


It remains to add: the autonomy of navigation in terms of food supplies of both icebreakers is six months. Nuclear fuel is refueled once every seven years. The modern "Arktika" also had a Soviet predecessor with the same name, which had more modest parameters, but was the first of the surface ships to conquer the North Pole.

"50 Years of Victory" and "Yamal"

We are talking about ships equipped with a reactor, thanks to which ships develop fifty thousand forces each. The first of them was laid back in the 80s. Initially, the nuclear-powered ship was named "Ural", but in 1993, 2 years before the anniversary, it was renamed. The ship was included in the official register in 2007.


The peculiarity of the vessel is that it is intended not only for escorting caravans along the NSR, but also for conducting familiarization and tourist cruises in the Arctic. The "liner" has a restaurant, swimming pools, a library, a gym and other "infrastructure" necessary for vacationers. Main technical data:

✅ length, width, side height - 159,6, 30, 17,2 m
✅ total displacement - 25 thousand 840 tons
✅ power unit - a pair of reactors providing a power of 55 MW or 75 thousand "horses"
✅ maximum speed in ice-free water - 21 knots
✅ number of crew members - 106 sailors
✅ number of passengers - up to 128

The ship passes ice up to 2,8 m thick. The nuclear-powered ship takes on board provisions that provide autonomous navigation for 7,5 months. Refueling takes place every four years.




The icebreaker "Yamal" also initially had a "socialist" name - "October Revolution" and was laid down in the 80s. It was launched into the water in 1989, and upon commissioning in 1992, the nuclear-powered ship already received a new name. This ship was conceived as a cruise ship and therefore has everything you need on board: swimming pools, saunas, a gym, W-Fi, etc. It even has its own hospital.


The technical characteristics of the vessel are the same as those of the "50 Years of Victory". On the eve of the XNUMXst century, the nuclear-powered ship visited the North Pole, becoming the seventh surface ship on the planet to reach its highest point.

"Taimyr" and "Vaigach"

The first of these single-reactor ships was built by order of the USSR in Finland (Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard). The construction of the hull implied the use of special Soviet-made steel, which does not lose performance at a temperature of -50 ° C. After launching, the ship was towed to the customer and the installation of the reactor took place at the Baltic Shipyard. The Project 10580 vessel was officially commissioned in 1989.


The main feature of the ship is its shallow draft, which makes it possible to lead caravans at the mouths of large rivers. Main technical data:

✅ dimensions - 151,8, 29,2 and 15,2 m
✅ total displacement - 20 tons
✅ draft - 8,1 m (for example, at the icebreaker "Lenin" - 12 m)
✅ power unit - a reactor that rotates a pair of turbogenerators with a capacity of 18,4 MW each
✅ maximum speed - 18,5 knots
✅ crew - 32 people

The ship can take on board 82 passengers. The maximum thickness of ice pierced by the nuclear-powered ship is 1,77 m. It is assumed that the Taimyr will be operated at least until 2025.

"Vaigach" also belongs to the project 10580 and was built at the same Finnish shipyard "Vyartsilya". The reactor was installed at the Baltic Shipyard. Commissioning took place in 1990. "Fellow" "Taimyr" today is mainly engaged in escorting caravans along the coast of Siberia.


The shallow-draft nuclear-powered ships should be replaced by the universal nuclear-powered ships of project 22220, designed for use in shallow water and the main routes of the NSR. The first of them, Arktika, is already successfully working on piloting ships along the NSR.

"Sevmorput"

Officially, it is an icebreaking and lighter transport ship with a nuclear reactor on board. The ship has been in development since 1978. Laid down in 1984, commissioned in 1988. In 2014, retrofitting was carried out.


The lighter carrier is engaged in the delivery of goods to the northern ports of the country and is able to break through ice up to a meter thick. Today it is the only cargo ship in the world that runs on nuclear fuel.

About future

The icebreakers described above, despite their unique characteristics, cannot provide year-round operation of the Northern Sea Route. This is due to the limitation on the thickness of the ice - up to three meters. Therefore, today a new project 10510 / LK-210Ya called "Leader" is being implemented. The Zvezda Far East plant is already building a lead ship that will be able to break four meters of ice. As for the nuclear civilian (although it is possible to install weapons on some of the ships described) of the Russian fleet, today it is the only one in the world and most countries in this regard are many years behind Russia.