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New ice-class SAR vessels for Russian Arctic

Russia orders two new icebreaking rescue and salvage vessels from German shipbuilder Nordic Yards (Photo: Ship&Offshore)

The Russian Federal Marine and River Transport Agency and German shipbuilder Nordic Yards have signed a contract for the construction of two icebreaking rescue and salvage vessels to operate in Russian Arctic waters.

Location

The 86 meters long and 19 meters wide vessels will be used for patrols and rescue operations in offshore oil and gas fields. 

They are highly specialized, have a complex level of equipment and are designed for searching for and rescuing ships in distress, evacuating people and providing them with medical care, the shipbuilder said in a press release

Financing will be provided by the Russian state and has already been secured for both projects. The total volume of the orders is 150 million euros.

The vessels are icebreakers of the second highest ice class, suitable for rescue operations in harsh environments. They can be used both for icebreaking operations in harbours and waters with an ice thickness of 1m as well as for fire-fighting and combating oil spills from the sea.

The vessels can study the ocean floor and damaged objects at depths of up to 1,000m. Furthermore, the vessels will be equipped with a helipad on the bow.

The engineering and start of construction will take place in 2013 with delivery scheduled for the spring of 2015.