The Far-Eastern Zvezda (Star) shipbuilding yard will build Project 10510 (Leader) nuclear icebreakers. Three such vessels are scheduled for deployment, Russian Vice-Premier Yuri Borisov said.
Project 10510 Leader class icebreaker
"The President has approved the appointment of Zvezda as a sole builder of the icebreakers Leader. The governmental decree to this effect will be prepared pursuant to instruction of the head of state as per established procedure," the Vice-Premier said.
Borisov noted that the issue of funding has also been resolved. "A total of three such icebreakers will be built. Zvezda will build in cooperation with Russian shipbuilders, including the Baltic Shipyard," he specified, saying that the companies will manufacture separate subsystems and subassemblies.
Contenders for building the Leader were the Zvezda, under construction in the Maritime Territory, and St Petersburg-based Baltic Shipyard. In early September, Denis Manturov, head of the Ministry for Trade and Industry, said that the first ship of the series will, most likely, be built by the Far-Eastern yard.
Video on roject 10510 Leader class icebreaker
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The vessel can reportedly break up ice with maximum thickness of 4.3 meters and lead cargo vessels at a speed of 11 knots in two-meter thick ice thus ensuring efficient navigation along the Northern Sea Route. The Leader can develop the route into a permanently operating waterway as it would provide year-round support to vessels on schedule regardless of weather conditions and ice situation. The icebreaker would be crucial for transporting hydrocarbons from Yamal deposits to Asian and Pacific Rim countries.
The new icebreaker will have a capacity of 120MW and will be the only vessel in the world to operate all year round along the Northern Sea Route in over 4-meter thick ice. It was reported that the icebreaker may cost 70 bln rubles. At present the most powerful icebreaker is the LK-60 (60MW) of project 22220. The lead Arktika nuclear icebreaker of project 22220 was laid down by the Baltic shipyard in November 2013. Its cost is estimated at 47 bln rubles.
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