ARKTIKA

Allgemeine Informationen

Kurs/Position

Die neuesten Nachrichten

Convoy heading for Barents Sea after months in ice

In December 2021 the 'Arktika' sailed into the thick sea-ice of the Laptev Sea, and from there several thousand kilometres further east through the East Siberian Sea to the town of Pevek. It was the first voyage to east Arctic waters for the new icebreaker. On its tail the vessel had three ships, the 'Polar King', Inzhener Rubin' and the diesel-powered icebreaker 'Dikson'. In Pevek, the cargo ships unloaded their cargo, most of it construction materials to the Baymskaya copper mining project, whereupon they froze into the sea-ice of the local port. They remained captured until Feb 9, 2022, when the 'Arktika' arrived and started a several thousand kilometre long escort operation across the Northern Sea Route as a basis for the further planning of year-round convoys on the Northern Sea Route. On Feb 15, the convoy was slowly approaching the Vilkitsky Stait that separate the Laptev Sea and the Kara Sea. In addition to the 'Arktika' and the two cargo ships, the convoy included also nuclear- powered container ship 'Sevmorput', which in Nov 2021 had sailed the Russian Arctic route loaded with equipment and metal structures for the nuclear power plant currently under construction in Bangladesh and started its return towards Murmansk from Vladivostok on Jan 17, and the diesel-engined icebreaker 'Kapitan Dranitsyn'. The thickness of the sea-ice in many places exceed two meters. The convoy is expected to make it into the Barents Sea in late February.

Nuclear ice breaker suffered breakdown during trials

An engine breakdown during sea trials aboard the 'Arktika' has thrown into doubt that the vessel will be completed by its May 2020 deadline. A starboard-side electrical propulsion motor failed during tests at sea on Feb 4. The St. Petersburg’s Baltic Shipyard, which is building the vessel, has promised to establish the cause of the breakdown by Feb 20. Should the 300-ton motor need to be replaced, it could significantly delay the full-scale launch of the ship, which was already running behind schedule. The vessel was initially due for delivery in 2017. For now, the' Arktika' was expected to undergo a new round of sea trials in March or April, during which its nuclear reactors will undergo tests.