The construction of the sixth Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker in Project 22220 has begun at the Baltic Shipyard (part of United Shipbuilding Corporation) in St. Petersburg.

“The shipbuilders have begun to cut the special steel for the hull of the future ship using plasma cutting machines at the hull plating shop in the presence of representatives from the client – Atomflot, and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping,” the company’s press release said.

Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreakers with a capacity of 60 MW are currently the world’s largest and most powerful icebreakers. They have a length of 173.3 meters, a width of 34 meters, and a displacement of 33,500 metric tons. These icebreakers can lead convoys of vessels in Arctic conditions by breaking through ice up to 3 meters thick. They will lead ships that carry petroleum commodities from the deposits in the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas and the Kara Sea shelf to markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

Three nuclear-powered icebreakers, the Arktika (the flagship), the Sibir and the Ural have been built as part of the project since 2013. They are now part of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet. Construction is currently underway of the nuclear icebreakers Yakutia and Chukotka at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. The construction of two more ships, the Kamchatka and the Sakhalin, will begin at the Baltic Shipyard in May 2024 and October 2025, respectively.