Russia’s new Ivan Papanin class multi-purpose reefer ship, developed by the St. Petersburg-based company Ugreftransflot, will be able to break ice up to 2.1 meters thick, moving forward with the stern. The first ship will serve the Northern Sea Route’s infrastructure and Arctic scientific and military bases without icebreaker support due to the ship’s reinforced hull. The Project 23550 patrol ship has an electric propulsion system, said the curator of the project and member of the company’s board of directors Victor Kot.
Speaking to Tass, he said, “Thanks to the advanced technical equipment of the reefer ship belonging to the ARC-7 Ivan-Papapin icebreaker class will be high-speed in its class of vessels and without being accompanied by icebreakers will be able to provide the Northern Sea Route infrastructure, and scientific and military bases in the Arctic zone” The vessel will be able to deliver and unload cargo using its own cranes. The ship has modules with repair shops, medical and residential blocks, as well as groups of specialists.
He said that the vessel’s bow would be covered with specially fortified ice protection. With the help of the new Azipod marine propulsion system and ice reinforcement of the stern, the vessel will be able to perform icebreaking on its own. The reefer ship will be equipped with an ice radar station to chart an optimal route in the ice.
According to Kot, the Ivan Papanin-class vessel will be environmentally safe due to the use of a dual-fuel power plant with the ability to operate on both diesel and liquefied natural gas.