"The lead nuclear icebreaker Arktika has officially entered service. The state flag was hoisted on October 21. Already late this week, the icebreaker will start its first journey through the Northern Sea Route," Likhachev said in his address to Russians working in the nuclear sector.
The 569-foot-long icebreaker of Project 22220 has a three-shaft propulsion system with a total capacity of 60 megawatts. Two more of the project's icebreakers designed for mass production — Sibir and Ural —are set to be put commissioned in November 2020 and November 2021.
Arktika-class nuclear icebreakers are able to escort caravans of ships in Arctic conditions, breaking up to three meters of ice while accompanying vessels carrying hydrocarbon raw materials from the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas and the Kara Sea shelf to the markets of the Asia-Pacific region.
