Arktika (2016 icebreaker)

In the late 1980s,[17] the Russian research institutes and design bureaus developed a successor for the 1970s Arktika-class nuclear-powered icebreakers as part of a wider icebreaker fleet renewal program initiated shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[18] The new 60-megawatt icebreaker, referred to using a type size series designation LK-60Ya,[note 1] would feature a so-called dual-draft functionality which would allow the vessel to operate in shallow coastal areas after de-ballasting.[19] Although the preliminary designs had been developed almost two decades earlier, the LK-60Ya design was finalized in 2009 as Project 22220 by Central Design Bureau "Iceberg"[20] and the construction of the first vessel was awarded to Saint Petersburg-based Baltic Shipyard in August 2012.[21] Two additional contracts in May 2014 and August 2019 have increased the number of Project 22220 icebreakers under construction or on order to five.[22][23]

The construction of the first Project 22220 icebreaker was awarded to Baltic Shipyard, the sole bidder in the public tender, on 3 August 2012 with a contract value of 36.959 billion rubles (about US$1.16 billion).[21]

The steel-cutting ceremony, which marked the beginning of construction, was held on 1 November 2012[2] and the keel was laid on the slipway on 5 November 2013.[4] By August 2015, 70 % of the hull assembly including the icebreaking bow had been completed, and the construction was proceeding according to the original schedule according to which the vessel would be delivered by December 2017.[7] The launching ceremony, initially scheduled for May 2016,[24] was held on 16 June 2016.[5][6] The new icebreaker was named Arktika, Russian for the Arctic, after her predecessor.[25]

While the hull of the icebreaker was still being assembled on the slipway, the shipyard began the construction of the 2,400-tonne (2,400-long-ton) superstructure that would be installed after launching.[26] Similarly, the 180-tonne (180-long-ton) RITM-200 nuclear reactors were installed after launching: the first one on 2 September 2016 and the second one on 21 September.[27]

By early 2017, it was revealed that the construction of the lead ship of Project 22220 icebreakers had fallen behind schedule and Baltic Shipyard was forced to apply for a one-year contract extension from the Russian Government. The reason for the delay was largely related to the Ukrainian crisis that began in November 2013. The ship's two main turbogenerators, initially ordered from the Ukrainian state-owned company Turboatom, had to be sourced domestically from Kirov-Energomash due to the deteriorated Russia–Ukraine relations. Similarly, the supplier of the integrated electric propulsion system was changed from the GE Power Conversion, a subsidiary of General Electric, to TSNII SET, a subsidiary of Krylov State Research Center.[28][29][30]

On 12 July 2017, President Vladimir Putin ordered the United Shipbuilding Corporation to postpone the delivery of the new icebreaker to 2019.[31] Further delays in the manufacturing and testing of the steam turbines later pushed this deadline to May 2020.[32]

The quayside trials, which included testing of the ship's systems while connected to shore power, began in May 2018.[33] One year later, Arktika's reactors received their first batch of nuclear fuel[34] and in October 2019 the ship's nuclear power plant was brought to the minimum level of controlled reaction. In Russia, the latter event was referred to as "physical launching" of the reactors.

Arktika began the first stage of sea trials in Gulf of Finland under diesel power on 12 December 2019. During the two-day trials, the vessel achieved a speed of 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) using the ship's auxiliary diesel power plant.[35][36][37]

The next trials, during which the vessel would sail for the first time on nuclear power, were originally scheduled for March–April 2020[38] but were later postponed to mid-June.[39] The three-week trials finally commenced on 23 June when Arktika was towed out to the Gulf of Finland by four tugboats[40][41] and concluded on 13 July.[42]

The final sea trials began in late August and were concluded on 16 September 2020, after which Arktika returned to Saint Petersburg to prepare the vessel for its maiden voyage to Murmansk.[25]

On 22 September 2020, Arktika departed Saint Petersburg for Murmansk. During the two-week voyage, the icebreaker would also head to the polar ice pack beyond Franz Josef Land to adjust the ship's electric propulsion system in ice-covered waters.[43] Arktika reached the geographic North Pole on 3 October[44][45] and, after the 1.1 to 1.2 metres (3.6 to 3.9 ft) thick ice turned out not to be enough to test the capabilities of the new nuclear-powered icebreaker, arrived in its home port on 12 October.[1]

While the signing of the final acceptance certificate for the nuclear-powered icebreaker was initially scheduled for 5 November 2020 according to a draft resolution of the Russian government,[46] it was signed at the official flag-raising ceremony held onboard Arktika in Murmansk on 21 October 2020.[8]

In February 2020, it was reported that the propulsion motor on the starboard shaft had failed during the quayside trials due to a short circuit and, if the 300-ton motor needs to be replaced, this may have an impact on the delivery date of the icebreaker.[47] In March 2020, it was further reported that Arktika may be accepted to trial service with reduced propulsion power of 40 to 50 megawatts while a replacement motor is being manufactured.[48] According to Central Design Bureau "Iceberg", this would reduce the vessel's maximum icebreaking capability by about 20 centimetres (8 in).[40] In late June, the United Shipbuilding Corporation confirmed that the vessel will be accepted for trial service in the Arctic in September or October with a limited propulsion power of 50 megawatts[49] while the replacement of the faulty propulsion motor is scheduled for August–November 2021.[50] The work, which requires cutting the icebreaker's hull to access and replace the failed components, will be carried out at Kronstadt Marine Plant.[51]

Russian icebreaker expert, Professor L. G. Tsoy, has publicly voiced concerns about the Arktika's excessive lightship weight which has led to the minimum operating draught in fresh water reportedly increasing from the planned 8.7 metres (29 ft) to 9.3 metres (31 ft). This would not allow the icebreaker to operate efficiently in shallow ice-covered river estuaries such as the Gulf of Ob.[45][52][53]

In June–August 2020, Rosatomflot filed three lawsuits against Baltic Shipyard in the Moscow Arbitration Court, claiming almost 1 billion rubles of compensation for undisclosed reasons.[54]

Initially, Rosatom stated that one of the first missions of the newly-commissioned nuclear-powered icebreaker would be to take 25 Russian teenagers between 12 and 16 years old, finalists of the "Arctic Olympiad", to the North Pole in October 2020.[55] However, Arktika remained at Atomflot's base in Murmansk until mid-November after the official flag-raising ceremony. The vessel departed on its first working voyage on the Northern Sea Route on 14 November but briefly returned to Murmansk for minor technical adjustments.[56] The first escort operation was carried out on 24 November.[9] After the initial deployment, the icebreaker is expected to return to Murmansk to stock up provisions in mid-December and then head back to the Northern Sea Route.[57]