Yakutia, the fourth of seven Project 22220 nuclear icebreakers, has begun work as part of Russia’s icebreaker fleet. The four Project 22220 icebreakers built by Rosatom’s United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK – Obedinionniya Sudostroitelniya Korporatsiya) now in service in the Arctic are Arktika, Sibir, Ural and Yakutia. The formal launch of Chukotka took place in November 2024. Construction of Leningrad and Kamchatka is underway and contracts have been signed for the construction of Stalingrad and Sakhalin..
Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev told the VI International Arctic Forum, The Arctic – the Territory of Dialogue that Yakutia had has passed all the tests and would leave St Petersburg to begin work “in the most difficult period of work, in the most difficult period of ice conditions”.
Likhachev noted that Western sanctions had affected the construction of Yakutia. “You know that significant adjustments have been made by our shipbuilders. In this case, our new icebreaker Yakutia was completed during the years of the special military operation and although more than 90% of Russian-made components were used on the ship, sanctions had an impact.” had a certain impact on it.”
Currently, Russia’s Atomflot currently operates nine nuclear icebreakers: the nuclear-powered transport ship Sevmorput, two river-class icebreakers (Taimyr and Vaigach), sea-class icebreakers (Yamal and 50 Let Pobedy) alongside the latest Project 22220 vessels.
