From Russia Business Today, July 17:
Zvezda Shipyard Could Start Building New LNG-powered Icebreakers
Russian independent LNG producer Novatek is shelling 60 billion rubles ($952.96 million) to build four icebreakers running on liquefied gas to provide navigation services along the western part of the Northern Sea Route, Kommersant reports.If you click through the ship pictured is actually one of the next-gen proposals. They are big and they are nuclear. See January 2018's "Russia Official Announces Plans to Build Space Age Nuclear Icebreakers" if interested.
The Zvezda Shipyard, managed by a consortium of Rosneft and Gazprombank, will get the order, Kommersant wrote. Novatek clarified that the company is still in negotiations with different shipyards and wants to receive all icebreakers before the end of 2023. Sources told Kommersant they doubt that the deadline is feasible, while experts believe that such vessels will be relevant once the Taymyr atomic icebreakers become obsolete by 2025-2026.
Novatek told Kommersant that the company considers making a series of three icebreakers running on LNG, as well as an option for another vessel. “Commercial negotiations on manufacturing a series with deadlines for all ships before the end of 2023 are underway with shipyards, including Zvezda,” the company said....MORE
