Project 22220 icebreaker

After the Second World War, the Soviet Union launched an ambitious marine transportation development program with the intention of turning the ice-covered Northern Sea Route into a navigable shipping route which could be then used to extract natural resources from the Arctic. This included replacing the obsolete steam-powered icebreakers with more powerful diesel-electric vessels and culminated with the construction of the first nuclear-powered icebreaker in the late 1950s. The second phase, which began in the early 1970s and continued until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, further expanded the Soviet icebreaker fleet with new nuclear- and diesel-powered icebreakers that enabled uninterrupted year-round operation in the western part of the Northern Sea Route as well as extended the navigating season in the eastern sector.[7]

In the 1980s, studies by the Central Marine Research and Design Institute (CNIIMF) and the Central Design Bureau "Iceberg" resulted in "icebreaker type size series" ranging from 7-megawatt auxiliary icebreakers (LK-7) to a 110-megawatt nuclear-powered "icebreaker-leaders" (LK-110Ya). One of the proposed new icebreaker classes, LK-60Ya, was developed as a direct replacement for the previous-generation Arktika-class nuclear-powered icebreakers which had entered service in the late 1970s and seen widespread use in the Russian Arctic.[7] In addition to operating as heavy line icebreakers along the full length of the Northern Sea Route from Murmansk all the way to the Bering Strait, the new 60-megawatt icebreakers would also replace the shallow-draft nuclear-powered icebreakers Taymyr and Vaygach on the Dudinka-Murmansk route which included icebreaking operations in the Yenisey river estuary. The latter operation was made possible by the novel dual-draft functionality, ability to de-ballast the vessel when approaching shallow coastal areas. Other technical characteristics of the next-generation nuclear-powered icebreakers were drawn from the Russians' extensive operational experience from Arctic shipping. For example, it was determined that in order to ensure reliable year-round navigation in the western part of the Northern Sea Route, LK-60Ya would have to be capable of breaking at least 2.8-metre (9 ft) ice, an improvement over the old Arktika's 2.3-metre (8 ft) icebreaking capability. In addition, escorting Russian Arctic cargo ships such as the then-common SA-15 type safely and efficiently in heavy ice conditions would require an icebreaker with a beam of 32 to 33 metres (105 to 108 ft) and a displacement of 34,000 to 36,000 tonnes (33,000 to 35,000 long tons).[7][8]

While traffic volumes along the Northern Sea Route declined drastically in the early 1990s due to the slowdown of the Russian economy,[9] an ambitious fleet renewal program was nonetheless launched under the presidential program Revival of the Merchant Fleet of Russia (1993–2000). In the end, none of the planned icebreakers were built and the follow-up federal program Modernization of the transport system of Russia (2002–2010) included funding for the construction of only two new diesel-electric icebreakers in addition to completing the unfinished Arktika-class icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy and starting the preliminary design development of the next generation nuclear-powered icebreakers.[10][11][12]

Although the preliminary design had been developed already in the late 1980s,[8][13] the final technical design of LK-60Ya was completed in 2009 by Central Design Bureau "Iceberg" as Project 22220.[14]

The construction of the lead ship was awarded to Saint Petersburg-based Baltic Shipyard, part of the state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation, in August 2012 with a contract price of 36.959 billion rubles (about US$1.16 billion).[15] A 84.4 billion ruble (about US$2.4 billion) follow-up contract for two additional vessels was signed in May 2014[16][17] and a second contract, worth over 100 billion rubles (about US$1.5 billion), for two more in August 2019.[18][19] As of 2020, there are a total of five Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreakers under construction or on order.

With the Project 22220 icebreakers under construction, focus has moved to the development of even larger and more powerful nuclear-powered icebreakers known as Project 10510 Lider.

Project 22220 icebreakers are 173.3 metres (569 ft) long overall and 160.0 metres (525 ft) at design waterline. While the maximum beam is 34 metres (112 ft), at design waterline the width of the hull reduces to 33 metres (108 ft) due to inclined sides. In order to be able to operate efficiently both in shallow Arctic river estuaries as well as along the Northern Sea Route, the draught of the Project 22220 icebreakers can be varied by taking in and discharging ballast water. Originally designed with an operational draught range of 8.5 to 10.5 metres (27 ft 11 in to 34 ft 5 in),[1] the minimum operational draught has since increased at first to 8.55 metres (28 ft 1 in)[46] and later to 8.65 metres (28 ft 5 in).[4] At minimum draught of 8.5 metres (28 ft), the icebreakers have a displacement of 25,540 tonnes (25,140 long tons) while the full load displacement at design draught is 33,530 tonnes (33,000 long tons).[1][2] In terms of size, Project 22220 icebreakers will be 13.7 metres (45 ft) longer and 4 metres (13 ft) wider than 50 Let Pobedy, previously the world's largest icebreaker, and at full load have about one third greater displacement.

The ice class of Project 22220 icebreakers, Icebreaker9, is the highest assigned by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS) and allows operation in up to 4 metres (13 ft) thick ice during the winter and spring navigating period.[47]

Like the preceding Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers since the 1959-built Lenin, Project 22220 icebreakers feature a nuclear-turbo-electric powertrain in which nuclear reactors produce steam for turbogenerators which, in turn, generate electrical power for propulsion motors driving the ship's propellers.

The onboard nuclear power plant consists of two RITM-200 pressurized water reactors with a thermal output of 175 MWt each. The reactors, developed by OKBM Afrikantov, use up to 20% enriched Uranium-235 and, when operating with a capacity factor of 0.65, require refueling every seven years over a 40-year planned service life. The external dimensions of the two-reactor plant located amidships are 6 by 13.2 by 15.5 metres (20 by 43 by 51 ft) and each reactor weighs 1,100 tonnes (1,100 long tons; 1,200 short tons).[48] Two main turbogenerators produced by Kirov-Energomash each generate 36 megawatts of electrical power at 3,000 rpm.[49][50]

The propulsion system of Project 22220 icebreakers follows the classic polar icebreaker pattern with three shaft lines and a single rudder. The 6.2-metre (20 ft) four-bladed fixed pitch propellers, each driven by a 20-megawatt (27,000 hp) electric motor,[51] are made of stainless steel and weigh about 60 tonnes (59 long tons; 66 short tons) apiece.[52] With a total propulsion power of 60 megawatts (80,000 hp), Project 22220 icebreakers supersede the 56-megawatt (75,000 hp) Yamal and 50 Let Pobedy — the two remaining Arktika-class icebreakers in service — as the world's most powerful icebreakers.[6][53]

Project 22220 icebreakers are designed to be capable of breaking 2.8 metres (9 ft) thick level ice at a continuous speed of 1.5–2 knots (2.8–3.7 km/h; 1.7–2.3 mph) at full power when operating in deep water at design draught.[2] In open water, the icebreakers can achieve a speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph).[1]