Delays and successes. Icebreaker construction program pr. 22220 / LK-60Ya
Lead icebreaker of the project, "Arktika" during sea trials, September 2020
The construction of universal two-draft nuclear icebreakers pr. 22220 or LK-60Ya has gained the necessary pace and is producing the desired result. The other day a third vessel of this type was handed over to the customer, and several more icebreakers are still at different stages of construction. In addition, a new order will appear in the coming weeks, as a result of which the series will be brought to seven units by the end of the decade.
Handed over to the customer
Project 22220 or LK-60Ya was developed at the Iceberg Central Design Bureau by order of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Atomflot from the state corporation Rosatom at the end of the XNUMXs. His goal was to create a new universal nuclear-powered icebreaker to replace existing ships and ensure navigation in the Arctic over the next few decades. The project was completed in the early XNUMXs, and soon a contract for the construction of the lead icebreaker appeared.
The order was given to the enterprise "Baltic Plant" (St. Petersburg). In 2012, it began construction preparations, and on November 5, 2013, the laying ceremony took place. The lead ship of the project was named Arktika. Until June 2016, it was on the slipway, after which it was launched and transferred to the outfitting embankment.
Problems arose during the construction of this icebreaker. Through the fault of the new Kyiv regime, cooperation with Ukrainian suppliers was broken, and our shipbuilders had to look for replacements with foreign components. The project also needed to be finalized, and it was not possible to meet the original work schedule.
"Arctic" at the North Pole, October 3, 2022
However, construction was completed. In early October 2019, a reactor was launched at the Arktika, and in December the icebreaker entered sea trials. At the beginning of the next year, there was a breakdown of the propulsion system, but the tests continued. In autumn, the icebreaker set off for the Arctic and on October 3 reached the North Pole. Soon, on October 21, the state flag was raised on the Arktika. Rosatomflot received the first icebreaker of a new type.
In 2014, Baltiysky Zavod received an order for the construction of the first serial icebreaker LK-60Ya, which received the name Siberia. It was laid down in May 2015 and built on the slipway until September 2017. Like the lead icebreaker, Sibir faced the problem of a lack of necessary components, and the construction schedule had to be revised.
The second icebreaker of the series entered factory sea trials in November 2021. These activities took only a few weeks, and the customer accepted the ship under the Christmas tree. They raised the national flag on it and began to prepare for the implementation of real tasks.
The second serial icebreaker pr. 22220 received the name "Ural" and was laid down in July 2016. Problems with components persisted, which is why in 2017 the construction time was changed. However, in the future, the graph was shifted to the left and brought closer to the original. After assembling the necessary structures and installing the required units, in May 2019 the icebreaker was launched. Completion and installation of the remaining systems continued until this year.
"Ural" on sea trials, November 2022
Not so long ago, on October 14, 2022, the Ural entered sea trials and confirmed all the design characteristics by the end of the month. On November 22, a solemn ceremony of acceptance of the new icebreaker and raising the flag took place at the Baltic Shipyard. In the presence of industry leaders and several ministers, with the permission of the President of the country, the flag was raised on the ship.
Under construction
In August 2019, Rosatom issued an order to Baltiysky Zavod for the construction of the next two LK-60Ya icebreakers, the fourth and fifth in the series. The ships with the names "Yakutia" and "Chukotka" were planned to be laid down in the near future. They are going to be put into operation in 2025-26.
Preparations for the construction of Yakutia began in January 2020, and at the end of May, the laying took place. Assembly of structures in the workshop of the plant continued until recently. The ship was launched and sent for completion a few days ago, on November 22, simultaneously with the commissioning of the Ural. Now the final stage of construction begins.
Installation of structures and systems should be completed no later than the middle of the decade. In 2025, the icebreaker will be tested, after which it will be accepted by Rosatomflot.
State flag on "Ural", November 22, 2022
The fifth icebreaker of the series, Chukotka, has been under construction since December 2020. While it is on the slipway, the date of launching remains unknown. Apparently, this event will take place next year. Then, in a few years, the remaining work will be completed, and by the end of 2026, the customer will receive a new vessel.
Plans for the future
Last year, Rosatom announced its intention to order and build two more new icebreakers, as a result of which the series will reach seven vessels. As it became known, such plans were not abandoned, and in the near future they will begin to be implemented.
So, during the recent ceremony of acceptance of the Ural and the descent of the Yakutia, the Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said that the contract for the next two icebreakers would be signed before the end of this year. The exact date of the appearance of the document has not yet been named, but this will be reported.
It can be assumed that in the first weeks or months of 2023, Baltiysky Zavod will start cutting metal and assembling the first structures. Then they will lay down two icebreakers, probably again at some interval. Delivery dates are not yet known. Judging by the current pace of construction, the sixth and seventh icebreakers will begin service in 2027-28.
Loading of the RITM-200 reactor plant into the hull of the Yakutia icebreaker, August 2022
Work continues
The program for the construction of new nuclear icebreakers pr. 22220 / LK-60Ya started about ten years ago and has come a long way by now. Shipbuilders of Baltiysky Zavod and subcontractors were able to establish a full cycle of construction and manufacture of the necessary systems and units, and also coped with problems that suddenly arose.
Existing plans for the construction of seven icebreakers at the moment "passed the equator." The first three vessels were built, handed over to the customer and put into operation. Another one has been launched, is being completed near the embankment and is gradually approaching testing and delivery. The fifth hull is still on the slipway, and two more vessels will be laid down in the near future.
In the early years, the construction program ran into problems through international cooperation. The search for a replacement for imported products and the corresponding processing of the finished project took some time, but they were successfully completed. Construction continued, albeit on an updated schedule several years behind the original.
It is curious that all these problems in general did not prevent the acceleration of construction processes. So, it took almost 7 years from the laying to the delivery of the lead icebreaker of the series, the Arktika. The construction and testing of the first serial "Siberia" lasted a few months less. In the case of the "Ural" managed to meet the 6 years and 4 months. However, these icebreakers could have been built faster if not for the lack of foreign components.
"Yakutia" before launching, November 22, 2022
By the time of the laying of the third serial ship Yakutia, the situation had changed, and the problems with cooperation were resolved. Thanks to this, the formation and equipment of the corps took only two and a half years. The rest of the work is scheduled to be completed in the next two years. Thus, the total construction period will be reduced to four and a half years.
The next Chukotka has been under construction for almost two years, and it will be launched in the coming months. At the same time, the delivery of the icebreaker is scheduled for 2026. It cannot be ruled out that these plans will be revised, and the delivery date will be shifted to the left. Taking into account the results achieved and the current pace of construction, plans will be drawn up for the sixth and seventh icebreakers of the series. It is quite possible that Rosatomflot will receive them already at the beginning of the second half of the decade.
Obvious successes
Thus, Rosatom, Rosatomflot, Baltiysky Zavod and other enterprises are successfully coping with the tasks of building a new series of multi-purpose dual-draft nuclear icebreakers and general renewal of the icebreaking fleet. The first vessels of the modern project 22220 have already been put into operation and provide navigation in the northern seas. Several new icebreakers are expected to appear in the coming years.
Icebreakers LK-60Ya have high technical characteristics and fully comply with the tasks set. In addition, they are distinguished by a high resource - the designated service life is 40 years. This means that the current shipbuilding program creates a reserve for the development of the Arctic for the next few decades, until the second half of the century.
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