New Massive Russian Icebreaker Plows Through the Thick Arctic Ice
Today, a new icebreaker Ilya Muromets started government trials. First, the new generation diesel-electric boat will prowl the Baltic Sea. Then, a grand move to a port of commission in Murmansk is planned. Salima Zarif reports on the issue.
Government trials for a ship are like finals for a college senior. A long life and great adventures will follow. Ilya Muromets will serve in the Arctic group of the Northern Fleet, but first, it will show its capabilities in the Baltic waters. There's no ice here yet, but Muromets isn't just an icebreaker. It's also a naval tug-boat and a patrol boat.
Here's what also makes Ilya Muromets unique: electric turbines with fans rotate 360 degrees. It allows the ship to move in any direction, not just back and forth, but sideways, which might come in handy in a tough ice situation. This knight can break ice as thick as 1.5 meters.
Aleksandr Fedotenkov, Deputy Commander of the Russian Navy: "The Navy hasn't gotten a world-class icebreaker in over 40 years. For us, this is a long-awaited ship. Thanks to the Navy, Russia has made a comeback in the Arctic".
There is a wide range of use for this. It can also put out fires and neutralize oil spills. Muromets can be a rescue boat, and a science ship. Here, a container is lifted, which contains a hydro-graphical lab.
The control cabin also looks like a lab. The ice breaker is automatized as such, so that only one person can control it. That's exactly what happened during the testing.
Gleb Rutkovsky, Ilya Muromets Captain: "The control is easy, you just press these buttons. There is nobody in the machinery department".
Members of the government committee walk down the deck, go down to the machinery department, and check out the cafeteria. The good work here means a lot, too.
- What will you serve during the trials?
- Cabbage soup and chicken.
After the government trials are completed, the Admiralty Shipyard will have little time to prepare the icebreaker to be transferred to the Fleet. Ilya Muromets must go to the port of commission in Murmansk in November.
Salima Zarif, Evgeny Kostin, Dmitry Lukashevich, and Galina Orlova. Vesti, Saint Petersburg.