The Russian Federation consolidates its tactical and strategic domination in the Arctic zone. Project 22220 - the icebreakers "Arctic", "Siberia" and "Ural" - a visible confirmation of this. The first two ultramodern icebreakers (the leading “Arctic” and the serial “Siberia”) have already been launched and are undergoing a stage of refinement and testing. Their characteristics are amazing. There were no such cars in the Arctic zone, and their competitors will not appear soon. We will talk about the main icebreaker of Project 22220 Arktika, the full commissioning of which is planned for 2019.
Ice Monster Family
Nuclear-powered icebreakers of project 22220 - “Arktika”, “Siberia” and “Ural” - are the largest and most powerful in the world today. These ice monsters (almost 175 meters long, 34 meters wide and with a maximum displacement of 33.5 thousand tons) are designed to ensure Russia's dominance in the Arctic waters throughout the entire navigation year. Accompanying caravans along the northern sea route and in the mouths of northern rivers, research programs, rescue operations and defense tasks are an incomplete list of the capabilities of fourth-generation nuclear-powered icebreakers. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in an interview noted the importance of such a project for the development of a peaceful Arctic and the acquisition of tactical, strategic and defense advantages in the Arctic Ocean.
Sphere of influence - Arctic water area
Today in the Russian Arctic there are six Russian defense ministry bases - on the archipelagos of the Novosibirsk Islands (Kotelny Island), Franz Josef Land (Alexandra Island), Severnaya Zemlya (Sredny Island ) and Wrangel Islands (Cape Schmidt). In conditions when an intercontinental ballistic missile launched in the neutral waters of the Barents Sea can reach the capital of Russia in a quarter of an hour, the nuclear screening of air defense bases in this area is becoming increasingly important. And given that in our part of the Arctic, about 40% of the gas and oil reserves and neighbors' claims to these areas are located, Russia needs to be ready to fight for them. Another reason for increasing influence in the North Ocean is the prospects for the shortest route from Europe to Asia for oil tankers. And icebreakers will become an indispensable strategic resource in these waters.
Parents of the icebreaker "Arctic" project 22220
The designer was the leading design bureau of OJSC Central Design Bureau Iceberg, on whose account more than a hundred ships of this type, including the very first worldwide nuclear-powered icebreaker Lenin. Today's “Arctic”, the design work on which began in the 2000s, is named after the icebreaker of the same name, project 10520, the first ship to conquer the North Pole in 1977 (it was removed from the register of ships in 2012).
The development of nuclear installations from two RITM-200 reactors was carried out by the I. Afrikantov OKBM, and ZiO-Podolsk made them. The Kirovsky plant became the designer of turbine generators, and the electric engine concern Ruselprom made electric motors. Well, the Baltic Shipyard received a contract for the construction of the Arctic icebreaker of project 22220 worth 36.9 billion rubles from Rosatom Corporation. Atomflot FSUE was the customer who hoped to get three nuclear icebreakers of project 22220 by 2015.
From bookmark to launch
The icebreaker "Arctic" of project 22220 was held on the stocks of the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. This plant is a brand known in the world as a flagship in the construction of an atomic icebreaker fleet. It was here that the icebreaker "Arctic" of project 22220 was laid down. This event took place on October 05, 2013, and took about an hour. But it opened a new era in ensuring defense capability and in solving economic problems.
The launching ceremony for the Baltic Shipyard LLC (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation JSC) icebreaker Arktika was held in St. Petersburg on June 16, 2016. Speaker of the Federation Council V. Matvienko became the “godmother” of the vessel, and other high-ranking officials attended the ceremony. In particular, the president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation Alexei Rakhmanov at this event noted the readiness of the corporation to fulfill its obligations regarding the three icebreakers of project 22220.
Both in the ocean and in the river
The special two-draft design of the nuclear icebreaker hull makes it possible to use it in the open waters of the Western Arctic and in the mouths of the Yenisei and Ob rivers. This design requires a fluid dynamic balance. With its minimum number, this ship will sail where others are firmly aground. And at maximum ballast loading, a heavy vessel will pass through thick ice and they will not squeeze it out of rut. Increasing the width of the vessel gave him less draft - and this is an opportunity to go into shallow water. In addition to the icebreaker escort of tankers with hydrocarbons from shelf deposits to the Atlantic and Pacific markets, he will be able to eliminate caravans in open water and in the shallow waters of northern rivers. The icebreaker "Arctic" of project 22220, the speed of which is 2 knots during continuous operation, will overcome continuous ice with a thickness of up to three meters.
A gram of fuel - thousands of tons of cargo
Description of the icebreaker "Arctic" of project 22220 is a story about a huge object the size of a football field. Its power plant of two RITM-200 reactors gives a capacity of 175 megawatts while consuming several grams of fuel per day. It can provide navigation throughout the year. This powerful installation, a unique technology in the world, has a service life of 40 years and is the safest. The nuclear heart of this icebreaker is also two steam generating units with a thermal capacity of 175 megawatts. They are almost two times lighter than the previous ones, which is achieved by a unique integrated layout of the equipment.
Safety and comfort
This icebreaker provides for multi-level protection of the core of a nuclear installation. It consists of layers of concrete, steel and water. In addition, the on-board computer will calculate the consequences of any contingency, even the most fantastic. The crew of the Arctic 22220 icebreaker will not only be able to work safely, conduct research work on ultra-modern equipment, but also spend time in a cinema, a library, two pools with a sauna and billiard room. The high comfort of the living area and the availability of free holds will allow the use of an icebreaker for research programs.
We must not forget about increasing the tourist attractiveness of the northern routes. Unimaginably beautiful landscapes and polar bears, approaching the vessel while docked, remain an attractive incentive for extreme tourists.
Characteristics of the icebreaker "Arctic" project 22220
The main characteristics of the icebreaker are shown in the table below.
Project | 22220 |
Ship | LK-60YA |
Speed in clear water | 20.8 knots |
Constant Speed | 2 knots |
Crew | 75 people |
Ice penetration | Up to 3 meters |
Power point |
Turbines | 2 to 27580 kW |
Shaft power | 49,000 kW |
Icebreaker Dimensions |
Length | 136 meters |
Width | 34 meters |
Board height | 17.2 meters |
Average draft | 11 meters |
Displacement | 33.5 thousand tons |
Autonomous swimming | Up to a year |
Defense value
Not only civilian, but also, if necessary, a military icebreaker - this task was set by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for designers. On the machines of this project, it is possible to place a command post of regional significance. There is a landing pad for helicopters and hangars. And although these programs are classified, it is reliably known that the corresponding equipment is preserved in warehouses. And although the icebreaker cannot be a combat ship, airborne reconnaissance and monitoring of the territorial space are not an impossible task for it.
Out of competition
Today, the Russian icebreaking fleet is beyond competition. The expression “checkmate at the beginning of the game” appeared in the Western media regarding our icebreakers. For comparison: the Canadian icebreaker CCGS John G. Diefenbaker, the most advanced and widely publicized, which will also be launched in 2017, can do without changing nuclear fuel for 5 years, while for the Arctic this period is 7 years. The Swedish icebreaker Oden is comparable to the Arctic in size, but in terms of the quality of the filling, it cannot even compete with our ice monster. The Chinese Xue Long also has similar dimensions, but the ice with a thickness of 80 centimeters for it is no longer passable. Icebreakers Polarstern (Germany) and Polar Star (America) have tolerable ice-breaking and displacement indicators, but obsolete equipment makes them floating museums.
There will be no downtime
Rest "Arctic" will not have to. Today, the unique Prirazlomnaya platform (shelf of the Pechora Sea) has an oil production potential of 400 thousand tons. Two or three icebreakers operate to ensure the export of this cargo, and not all year round. But the "Arctic" will cope here herself. Preliminary calculations showed that a loaded tanker should leave the port of Sabetta every 36 hours, and carry it through the mouth of the Ob into open waters is a feasible task for a new icebreaker.
But other Arctic territories also need year-round supplies. A seven-fold increase in trade on the Northern Sea Route is a forecast calculated by financiers. This route may well in 15 years compete with the Suez Canal. The road from Murmansk to Japan in the winter using these icebreakers will be 17 days against 37 via the Egyptian canal. And the main merit in this is the atomic ice giants of project 22220.
Captain is already there
Although the full commissioning of the nuclear icebreaker "Arctic" of project 22220 is planned for 2018, the captain has already been appointed. They will become an experienced sea wolf Alexander Spirin. He began his naval career as the fourth assistant captain in the first Arctic in 1982. The holder of the Order for Maritime Merit (operation "Shelf 2011"), the captain of the icebreakers "Russia", "Soviet Union", "Academician Fedorov" is ready to recruit a team and begin to conquer the Arctic ice. And in an interview, Alexander says that he is ending Arctic ice, which he adds to the whiskey. So - it's time to the north.