The latest diesel-electric Ilya Muromets icebreaker of the Northern fleet began trials in the ice of the eastern Barents Sea. It approached the ice edge of average thickness, the Northern fleet said.
Russian Navy Icebreaker Ilya Muromets Started Trials in Barents Sea Ice
"The ice is from 50 to 100 centimeters thick in the area. Ice compaction is 9-10 points. Thus, trial conditions are favorable and correspond to the technical capabilities of the icebreaker. The trials are to continue until the end of the month and the icebreaker will return to Murmansk after them," it said.
The Ilya Muromets considerably expands the logistical capabilities of the Northern fleet in the Arctic. It is to join an Arctic sortie of warships and supply vessels along the Northern Sea Route for the first time this year.
The Ilya Muromets of project 21180 was laid by the Admiralty shipyard on April 23, 2015 and floated in June 2016. The flag of the auxiliary fleet was hoisted on November 30, 2017. The icebreaker joined the
Northern fleet on January 2, 2018. Its displacement is 6 thousand tons. Autonomous navigation is 60 days and the range is 9 thousand miles. The crew comprises 35 men. The ship can break up to 100cm-thick ice. The Ilya Muromets can lead warships and supply vessels in the Arctic. It can also carry cargoes, engage in hydrographic research and rescue operations, fight fires and oil spills, transport passengers and seaborne assault. It has a 26-ton crane and a helipad in the bow.
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