The 22600 Project icebreaker “Viktor Chernomyrdin” commissioned by Rosmorport left the Admiralty Shipyards on October 5 for sea trials in the Gulf of Finland.
During 20 days the crew together with yard specialists, the state commission and the customer’s representatives will be testing all the systems and mechanisms of the vessel including the propulsion system, the navigation and communication systems, and the radiolocation stations.
The trials programme includes maneuvering with a U-turn and speed tests as well as a bollard pull test. Also, lifeboats and manual and automatic course laying will be tested.
The icebreaker has an Aut1 automation class which means it can be operated by one person only, the master. To test the vessels in this regime, the crew will have to withdraw from their everyday functions for 24 hours to allow the master operate the ship single-handed from the bridge.
The icebreaker has two helipads, a hangar and a facility for copter fuel storage and fueling. During the sea trials, a helicopter will make landings and takes-off from the icebreaker at day and at night, also, the communication between the ship and the copter will be tested.
After commissioning, the icebreaker will undergo ice trials in the Arctic, this will be possible in March-April 2020 when sufficiently thick and solid ice sets in that region.
The icebreaker is to be delivered by the end of the year. It is the most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker in the world.