Baltiysky Zavod, part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK), launched the auxiliary boiler unit (ABU) during mooring trials on the under-construction Project 22220 nuclear icebreaker Chukotka. This was reported by the corporation's press service.
The boilers run on diesel fuel. They are designed to provide steam and hot water to the ship's systems in situations when the reactors are not operating. Steam is used in the icebreaker's heating and life-support systems.
Each boiler weighs 14 tonnes and has a capacity of 10 tonnes of saturated steam per hour at a pressure of 0.75 MPa.
The nuclear-powered vessel Chukotka is the fifth ship of Project 22220 being built at Baltiysky Zavod OSK by order of the state corporation Rosatom. The icebreaker was laid down on December 16, 2020, and launched on November 6, 2024. Construction of the vessel will be completed in 2026.
LK-60Ya-type icebreakers ("icebreaker with a nuclear power plant with a capacity of 60 MW") of Project 22220 are being developed for operation in the Arctic Ocean. These vessels will replace the outdated icebreaker models Arktika (Project 10520), Rossiya (Project 10521), and Taymyr (Project 10580).
One of the design features of Project 22220 icebreakers is ballast water tanks that make it possible to change the vessel's draft. Thanks to this, universal nuclear icebreakers can operate effectively both in the mouths of Siberian rivers and on the Northern Sea Route, ensuring reliability and flexibility in the challenging conditions of the Arctic.
Read more articles:
- The wheelhouse has been installed on the nuclear icebreaker Chukotka — the 170-tonne structure has taken its place
- 70% ready: the Project 22220 nuclear icebreaker Chukotka will be delivered to the customer in December 2026
- The Project 22220 nuclear icebreaker Arktika will escort the gas carrier Aleksei Kosygin to Arctic LNG 2
