The Prime Minister participated in the keel-laying ceremony to mark the start of construction of a new-generation diesel-electric LK-25 icebreaker for Rosmorport. Dmitry Medvedev said that the construction of a new icebreaker is very welcome news for the fleet and the shipyard workers.
During his visit to the Baltiysky Zavod Shipyard, the Prime Minister was shown the layout of the first floating nuclear power station (FNPS). The Academician Lomonosov floating nuclear power unit is being built at the Baltiysky Zavod Shipyard. According to employees, the work on the power station is 65% completed. Dmitry Medvedev instructed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to finalise financial arrangements for the FNPS project.
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The new-generation LK-25 diesel-electric icebreaker is the second ship of this type. The construction of the first one – the St Petersburg icebreaker – began at the same enterprise in 2006. Vessels built under this project would replace the Finnish-made icebreakers built in the 1970s and the 1980s.
Functionally, the LK-25 is very different from the ships of the previous generation. The icebreaker is designed to lead other vessels through ice-covered waters or to serve as a support vessel in caravans sailing along the Northern Sea Route.
A combined propulsion unit is used in the LK-25 for the first time ever, which allows it to sail both in open water and in conditions of heavy ice. In addition, the ship will be equipped with a special firefighting system to put out fires onboard, as well as on drilling rigs and oil and gas platforms. The icebreaker can be outfitted with equipment to provide oil spill response.
A cargo crane with a capacity of up to 150 tonnes for conducting underwater work at oil drilling and production platforms and during laying of underwater pipelines will be installed on this kind of vessel for the first time.
The vessel provides comfortable accommodation for crew members and passengers, making it a viable option for carrying freight and passengers between navigation seasons.