Russian Project 22220 icebreaker Arktika starts trials after repairs


According to information published by Tass on November 26, 2021, the Project 22220 lead versatile nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika has entered the Gulf of Finland to undergo acceptance trials after the repairs.
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Russian Vyborg Shipyard laid the Purga ice class coastguard ship of project 23550 925 001 Project 22220 icebreaker Arktika (Picture source: forums.airbase.ru)


After the trials are completed, the Arktika icebreaker will start to lead vessels along the Northern Sea Route.

The repairs of the Arktika icebreaker began in August 2021 nine months after it had been made operational with the inoperable starboard propulsion motor in October 2020.

The motor broke down during dock trials because of a short circuit failure. It was impossible to restore it but, because of an increased navigation intensity along the Northern Sea Route, the icebreaker entered service.

The Project 22220 lead icebreaker was built by the Baltic Shipyard. The ship was laid down on November 5, 2013, launched on June 16, 2016 and made operational on October 21, 2020.

The shipyard is currently building the Project 22220 icebreakers Sibir, Ural, Yakutia and Chukotka. The ships are expected to make up the mainstay of Russia’s icebreaking fleet in the imminent future.

Project 22220 icebreakers are 173.3 metres (569 ft) long overall and 160.0 metres (525 ft) at the design waterline.

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.