St. Petersburg-based Admiralty Shipyards has signed a contract with the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) to design and build the Project 00903 North Pole ice-resistant self-propelled platform for Arctic research.

"This unique platform will be the first vessel of this class capable of operating year-round in ice conditions," Roshydromet head Maxim Yakovenko told the media after the contract was signed. He added that the platform should be operational in three years.

Admiralty Shipyards CEO Alexander Buzakov told journalists about the specifics of the platform.

"The unique feature of the platform is that it will be able to drift on the sea for up to two years without calling at ports. The vessel will have enough fuel and food for two years and will have a helipad for Mi-8," Alexander Buzakov said. He added that the technical project documents and basic design would be created jointly with the Vympel Design Bureau.

The ice-resistant, self-propelled North Pole platform will conduct comprehensive year-round research in the high latitudes of the Arctic Ocean. It will be a unique vessel of the ARC8 ice class with a thick hull, fuel reserves for up to two years and a service life of at least 25 years, carrying a crew of 14 and a group of up to 48 researchers.

The year-round platform will have equipment for geological, acoustic, geophysical and marine research. It will be able to drift in ice conditions without an icebreaker and will have a helipad suitable for heavy helicopters such as the Мi-8AMT (Mi-171E) multipurpose helicopter.

The platform's specifications are: length 67.8 meters, width 22.5 meters, deadweight around 7,500 tons, a power unit of up to 3,600 kW, and speed at least 10 knots.

Under the contract, Admiralty Shipyards is to deliver the platform to Roshydromet in 2020.