Russia plans to build ten ice-class supply vessels to support deliveries along the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The construction will most likely take place at one of the shipyards in St. Petersburg, with the Baltic Shipyard, Admiralty Shipyards, and Vyborg Shipyard competing for the project.
United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) is the main contender for the construction of this series of vessels. According to the tender documentation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the vessel must meet the Arc7 class. This will allow it to move independently in ice with a thickness of 1.4–1.7 meters, as well as have the ability to transport containers and dangerous goods.
The length of the vessel should not exceed 170 m, the width should be 23 m, and the speed should be at least 14 knots (almost 26 km/h). The work is expected to be carried out in two stages, with completion in November 2026. The transition to the production of vessels is expected between 2027 and 2029.
In August 2022, the Russian government approved the strategy for the development of the NSR until 2035, according to which the volume of cargo traffic on the route should reach 80 million tons by 2024, 150 million tons by 2030, and 220 million tons by 2035.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that SSK "Zvezda" is completing the construction of the first batch of LNG carriers for Arctic LNG-2.
