Nuclear-powered icebreaker, Chukotka, has floated out at the Baltic Shipyard. Rosatom
The fourth Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreaker, Chukotka, has floated out at the Baltic Shipyard in Saint Petersburg. The icebreaker will be fitted out while moored at the berth.
The vessel is scheduled for commissioning in 2026. “We need new icebreakers for the development of the Northern Sea Route and the entire Russian Arctic. Cargo traffic on the route has grown almost 10 times over the past 10 years, and keeps setting new highs every year.
This year sees the trend continue as the volume of cargo transported is up year over year. Freight transit is also growing due to cargoes being redirected from west to east,” Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said during the float-out ceremony.
There are now seven nuclear-powered icebreakers operating in the Arctic. Three Project 22220 series icebreakers are under construction at the Baltic Shipyard in parallel, and another super icebreaker of the Leader series is being built at the Zvezda Shipyard. – Press release