Northern Fleet's Ilya Muromets icebreaker arrives in Murmansk after ice trials
MOSCOW. May 3 (Interfax) - The Northern Fleet's Ilya Muromets icebreaker has completed ice trials and returned to the port of registry, Murmansk, Northern Fleet spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Vadim Serga said.
"The crew spent 19 days at the sea. The trials were conducted in the Kara Strait and eastern areas of the Barents Sea where ice fields varied by their thickness and density. The icebreaker verified its performance characteristics," Serga said.
The maximum thickness of the ice the ship has coped with is about 1.5 meters, he said.
The weather and ice patterns in the Barents Sea were good for the tests and research, Serga said. In addition to testing the hull solidity and performance characteristics of the icebreaker, the crew tested the crane which unloaded containers carrying research equipment on the ice and loaded them back on the ship.
The crew successfully completed the trial in the Kara Strait and performed its first escorting mission in the White Sea. The icebreaker returned to Murmansk after it escorted the Yury Dolgoruky strategic submarine.
The icebreaker joined the Northern Fleet on January 2, 2018. It raised the flag of the support fleet on November 30, 2017. This is the day of official commencement of the Ilya Muromets icebreaker by the Northern Fleet.