Medvedev on hand for icebreaker LK-25 keel-laying
ST. PETERSBURG. Oct 10 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev took part in ceremonies market the laying of the keel of the diesel and electric icebreaker LK-25 (capacity 25 MW) at Baltiysky Zavod in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.
The first vessel of this class, the icebreaker St. Petersburg, was built at the shipyard in 2006. The new one is intended to replace Finnish icebreakers built in the 1970s and 1980s.
LK-25 is meant for the independent piloting of ships and to operate as an auxiliary vessel for ship caravans plying the North Sea Route. The vessel differs significantly from those of the previous generation in terms of its specifications and abilities. It boasts the world's first applied combined power plant, which will provide for reliable piloting and maneuverability in open water and in heavy ice conditions.
The ship will be outfitted with a special fire-control system able to extinguish fires aboard other vessels, on drilling and oil-production platforms. The icebreaker will also carry equipment for cleaning up oil spills. For the first time, this class of ships are slated to have a lifting crane able to hoist up to 150 tonnes for the purpose of subsurface technical work in areas where drilling and oil-production platforms are operating and in regions where underwater pipe is being laid.