The world's most powerful icebreaker started testing at sea

Arktika icebreaker is more than 173m long and 33,500 tons of displacement, can break 3m thick ice.

Arktika, Russia's largest and most powerful icebreaker, launched near the city of St Petersburg. Tests at sea will confirm whether the ship meets the design standards and test the reliability of the equipment and systems on board.

The massive icebreaker was built by the Russian Atomic Authority, Rosatom, at the Baltic shipyard in St Petersburg. Arktika will use diesel engines in the first tests. As expected, the ship will go into operation next year.

This is the first ship in the new generation of icebreakers named Project 22220 of Russia. Two similar vessels, Sibir and Ural, are being completed in St Petersburg. In August, Rosatom and the shipyard signed a contract to produce two more ships.

Project 22220 icebreaker line has a capacity of 60 megawatts. With a length of more than 173 m and a displacement of 33,500 tons, Project 22220 will lead the segment in strength and size. The largest icebreakers currently in use in Russia have a capacity of 54 megawatts and are no longer than 160 meters.

Arktika will use diesel engines in the first tests.

With the ability to break ice 3m thick, Arktika and its peers will be used to pave the way for ships to transport fossil fuels from the Arctic mines to customers in Asia - Pacific. Russia is upgrading the icebreaking fleet as part of a nationwide transportation infrastructure upgrade project. The project aims to increase the volume of goods transported through the North Sea route to 80 million tons by 2024, contributing to the development of the polar region as well as other areas in Siberia and the Far East.

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