The Russian flag was raised on the Yakutia nuclear-powered icebreaker built by USC

A solemn ceremony of raising the national flag on the nuclear-powered icebreaker Yakutia built at the Baltic Shipyard of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) was held. This was reported in the corporation on December 28.

"I would like to thank everyone who together with us built, carried out commissioning and testing of the Yakutia icebreaker. It was hard and painstaking labor, which made us professionally stronger," said Alexander Konovalov, general director of the Baltiysky Zavod.

He pointed out that the construction of a series of Project 22220 icebreakers, under which the Yakutia was built, will continue. The plant will assist Atomflot in the operation of the icebreaker, maintain the vessel and provide it with spare parts. Konovalov thanked OSK and Rosatom State Corporation for their trust in the Baltic Shipyard, which will complete the series on time. The Director General emphasized that the company's team is ready to take on new projects, including the creation of even more powerful surface vessels using nuclear power technologies.

"Yakutia" became the fourth icebreaker of Project 22220 and the third icebreaker built in series. This icebreaker differs from other vessels of the project in that it has undergone a major import substitution program, during which foreign equipment and components of "Yakutia" were promptly replaced with Russian ones. In addition, new elements of the production system were introduced at the Baltic Shipyard, and the icebreaker's construction period was shortened.

"Four and a half years of intensive work by a large team of shipbuilders, engineers and scientists are behind us. The work was carried out under difficult conditions caused by the pandemic and external pressures. The sanctions restrictions we faced did not prevent us from ensuring high-quality and timely construction of the order," said Andrey Buzinov, First Deputy Director General of OSK, at the ceremony.

Yakutia's hull is made of strong steel, which is resistant to corrosion, and is protected against ice buildup. The icebreaker is capable of breaking through ice up to 3 meters thick. The vessel is equipped with two domestically developed RITM-200 water-water nuclear reactors. The thermal capacity of each of them is 175 MW. The designated service life of the icebreaker is 40 years. Its speed on clear water is 22 knots (approximately 40.7 km/h).

OSK specified that Project 22220 icebreakers are the most powerful and largest in the world, their main task is to ensure year-round navigation in the western Arctic. Now successfully used icebreakers "Arktika", "Sibir" and "Ural", all of them built under this project at the Baltic Shipyard.

The "Yakutia" was laid down in 2020, and it was launched on November 22, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in the ceremony via video link and thanked the specialists who created the icebreaker for their hard work and professionalism. After the launch, Yakutia was completed on a special quay of the Baltic Shipyard.

Later, on November 6, 2024, the shipyard launched the fourth serial nuclear-powered icebreaker "Chukotka" of Project 22220. Permission to launch the vessel was given by Putin. It is specified that icebreakers of this project are used in the areas from the Yenisei and the Gulf of Ob.