OREANDA-NEWS.   The State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM signed a contract with the Baltijskiy Zavod-Sudostroyenie for building two series nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220. The contract cost is RUB 84.4 billion. As per the contract terms, the icebreakers should be released in December 2019 and December 2020, respectively.

The Baltijskiy Zavod-Sudostroyenie already builds the pilot universal nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220, which keel was laid on November 5, 2013. The LK-60 is named the Arktika. She will be fitted with a new type nuclear power reactor RITM-200 and will be the world’s largest and potent icebreaker. Her length will be 173.3 m, width - 34 m, design draught – 10.5 m, and minimum operating draught – 8.55 m. The ship displacement will be 33,540 tons. Under the contract, the pilot icebreaker should be completed in December 2017. Commissioning years of the series nuclear-propelled ships of Project 22220 are December 2019 and December 2020, respectively.

The double-draught design of the ships will allow operating them both in the Arctic seas and estuaries of Polar rivers. The icebreakers are to steer vessels carrying hydrocarbons from deposits located on Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas, the Kara Sea shelf to markets of the Atlantic and Pacific countries.