As ombugge posts progress on the Norwegian icebreaker, here’s what’s happening on the other side of the Iron Curtain (articles in Russian, pictures in English):
That’s three icebreakers in total:
- two vessels with 21.5 MW (28,800 shp) propulsion power, conventional AC/AC, 2 m/6.5 ft icebreaking capability and ice class roughly equivalent to Polar Class 2; and
- one vessel with 12 MW (16,000 shp) propulsion power, Onboard DC Grid, 1.5 m/5 ft icebreaking capability and ice class roughly equivalent to Polar Class 3.
All ships are scheduled to be delivered this year, the first two to Gazprom Neft and the third to Atomflot. All will be deployed in the Gulf of Ob in the Russian Arctic to support oil and LNG shipping.