The first welding ceremony for the fifth-generation nuclear icebreaker Leningrad, which will be built at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, Russia, has been held.

The vessel, which will be a new member of Russia's nuclear icebreaker fleet developed under Project 22220, aims to enhance navigation capacity in the Northern Sea Route. Officials from the Russian government and Rosatom also attended the ceremony.

Images from the ceremony and construction process of the nuclear icebreaker Leningrad being built at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, Russia, were showcased. The ship, developed under Project 22220, stands out as one of the key components of Russia's next-generation Arctic fleet.

It has been stated that Leningrad, equipped with the new generation RITM-200 reactor system, will have the capacity to operate year-round in challenging Arctic conditions. Thanks to its dual-draft design, it will be able to operate in both deep Arctic waters and shallow areas at river mouths.

So far, Russia has commissioned nuclear icebreakers named Arktika, Sibir, and Ural under Project 22220. While the construction of Yakutia and Chukotka is ongoing, Leningrad stands out as the new link in the project.

The Moscow administration considers the nuclear icebreaker fleet a strategic priority within the framework of growing Arctic energy and logistics projects.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye