Russia’s newest nuclear-powered icebreaker arrives in Murmansk

The Sibir is the second of the Arktika-class icebreakers.

The nuclear-powered icebreaker Sibir arrived at its home port of Murmansk, in the Russian Arctic on Saturday.

The ship arrived from St. Petersburg, where it was the second of Project 22220, or Arktika-class icebreakers, to be built by Baltic Shipyard for Rosatom subsidiary Atomflot.

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The ship is about 173 meters in length, 34 meters wide and has a displacement of 25,540 tonnes.

Project 22220 nuclear icebreakers are designed for clearing paths for ships, including ships of larger tonnage, and lead convoys of ships in the western part of the Arctic all year round.

The first ship in the series, the Arktika, already did such work this winter, sailing to Russia’s eastern Arctic waters to assist vessels caught in an early freeze-up. It also sailed to the North Pole during sea trials in 2020.

However, the Arktika also experienced technical difficulties, including engine trouble, and delays in the construction of Arktika-class ships were the subject of several lawsuits.

With additions from ArcticToday.