Giant of Steel and Atom: How the Baltic Shipyard is Building the Sixth Nuclear Icebreaker - "Leningrad"

The construction of the nuclear icebreaker "Leningrad" continues at the Baltic Shipyard of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC). The Project 22220 ship is 20% complete, with hull assembly and equipment installation underway.

The largest and most powerful nuclear icebreaker "Leningrad" has reached 20% completion. This is the sixth vessel of Project 22220, which is being built at the Baltic Shipyard USC under the order of "Rosatom". Low-pressure steam generators have already been placed on board - they ensure the functioning of systems in harsh Arctic conditions. Currently, the formation of the nuclear vessel's hull continues.

Durable metal is cut even underwater. The elements prepared here are assembled in the adjacent workshop - from small flat parts to massive volumetric sections.

The bottom sections of the future icebreaker are about to be installed on the longest slipway in Russia, which is 350 meters long. It is possible to build huge nuclear ships here, similar to the vessels of Project 22220.

"Leningrad" is only just beginning to take shape as a vessel. The hull is being formed: its height is about five stories, and with the superstructure - like an eighteen-story building, that is, over 50 meters. The width is 34 meters, and the length is almost two football fields, or 173 meters.

Low-pressure steam generators have already been installed in the inaccessible compartments of the future ice giant. As soon as the hull assembly is completed, a nuclear reactor will start operating in "Leningrad". It will be two-chambered, with a capacity of 175 megawatts for each reactor. The icebreaker will be able to function autonomously for seven years - only the delivery of food and crew changes will be required.

This is already the sixth icebreaker of Project 22220, designed to operate in the western sector of the Northern Sea Route. It is capable of overcoming ice up to three meters thick, paving the way for other vessels.

A key feature of the vessel is its dual-draft capability, which allows it to operate effectively both in the Kara Sea and in the Yenisei River estuary.

In 2028, the nuclear-powered ship should set off for the Arctic. Unlike its predecessors - the icebreakers "Chukotka" and "Yakutia" - "Leningrad" will receive a unique design: the superstructure will be decorated with silhouettes of the Bronze Horseman and the Peter and Paul Fortress in the light of spotlights - in memory of the dead residents and defenders of the city.

Technical characteristics:

• Displacement: smallest - 26 771 t, standard - 32 747 t, full along the waterline - 33 540 t.
• Length: greatest - 173.3 m, overall - 172.7 m, along the waterline - 160 m.
• Width: greatest - 34 m, along the waterline - 33 m.
• Height: side amidships - 15.2 m, greatest - 59.3 m.
• Draft: minimum operating - 9.03 m, full along the waterline - 10.5 m.
• Engines: 2 × РИТМ-200, power: thermal - 2 × 175 MW, electrical - 2 × 36.0 MW.
• Power: electrical - 72 MW (97 893 hp), on shafts - 60 MW (81 577 hp).
• Propulsion: 3 fixed-pitch propellers with 4 removable blades.
• Speed: full - 22 knots in clear water, 12 knots in 1.5 m ice, 2 knots in 2.8-2.9 m, 3 m ice (maximum ice thickness).
• Cruising range: unlimited.
• Endurance: 7 years (fuel reload), 6 months (food supplies).
• Crew: 53 people.
• Hull material: special alloy steel.

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