At the JSC Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, the shipyard, Rosatom as the client and its subsidiary Atomflot as the shipping company as well as Russian government representatives celebrated the completion of another large nuclear-powered icebreaker. The commissioning of the "Yakutia" (project 22220) will further advance the strategy of maintaining year-round transit in the Arctic region.
It is the fourth nuclear-powered icebreaker of the LK-60Ja class. The government's aim is to expand the group of icebreakers for the Northern Sea Route to 17 ships by 2030 in order to double the total freight volume from almost 38 million tonnes in 2024 to more than 80 million tonnes.
The ships are the largest nuclear-powered icebreakers in the world and are designed for a service life of 40 years. The "Jakutia" (33,540 tonnes, 173 metres long) can break ice up to 3 metres thick and reach a speed of 22 knots (almost 41 km/h). This construction series currently includes the "Arktika" (2020), "Sibir" (2021) and "Ural" (2022). Two more icebreakers are due to follow by 2030.
Russian officials reported that the "Yakutia" differs from the three previous icebreakers in that it is a "large-scale import substitution programme". Due to the delays caused by the pandemic and the halt to Western exports of components following the invasion of Ukraine, various pieces of equipment and components on the icebreaker had to be replaced by domestic ones. Russia's president was therefore delighted, as such prestigious projects strengthen Russia's position as a major Arctic power.
marineforum reported on the LK-60Ja class and the alternative Arctic routes to the southern connections on 27 September 2023: "Russian scarce goods: ice-capable ships for the North-East Passage"
kdk, The Maritime Executive
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