Gennadiy Nevelskoy icebreaker

The 2017-built MS Gennadiy Nevelskoy ("ледокол Геннадий Невельской") is an icebreaking vessel owned by SCF Sovcomflot (Совкомфлот/fleet) and operated via its subsidiary SCF Sakhalin Vessels Ltd. Sovcomflot is a Russian state-owned corporation specializing in petroleum and LNG shipping.

The vessel (IMO number 9742120, Helsinki Shipyard/hull number 511) is currently Russia-flagged (MMSI 273396990) and homeported in Vladivostok.

The icebreaker operates as a supply vessel for Russia's Sakhalin 2 oil and gas project on Sakhalin Island (Okhotsk Sea, northwestern Pacific). She is named after Admiral Gennady Ivanovich Nevelskoy (1813-1876), who led the Russian Far East expedition (1849-1855) to Sakhalin and the Amur River. In August 1850, he founded Russia's first settlement in the region – Nikolayevsk-on-Amur.

Sovcomflot (Совкомфлот, founded 1988) is Russia's largest shipping company, specializing in hydrocarbon transportation (including HGLs – hydrocarbon gas liquids) from the Russian Arctic. Of the fleet’s ~150 vessels, more than 80 are ice-classed with icebreaking capability.

History and construction

This icebreaker class was designed by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard (Helsinki, Finland) as supply and standby vessels. The series consists of four IBSBV ("icebreaking standby vessel") ships: Fedor Ushakov, Stepan Makarov, Yevgeny Primakov, and Gennadiy Nevelskoy.

The earlier sisterships Aleksey Chirikov (2013) and Vitus Bering (2012) were of a less powerful design (four diesel engines, no moon pool). All vessels were ordered in December 2010, following an agreement between STX Finland (now Meyer Turku) and Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation (OCK) to create the joint venture “Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.”

Most hull blocks were assembled in Helsinki, with the majority manufactured in Russia (by Vyborg Shipyard) and transported by barge to Finland for outfitting, painting, and final assembly.

Gennadiy Nevelskoy was the first of the four SCF-commissioned standby icebreakers. Compared to earlier models, these vessels have smaller deadweight (3824 tons), larger personnel capacity (up to 98 people), and enhanced multi-role functionality. They support year-round delivery of equipment, personnel, and supplies to three offshore oil and gas platforms. They also perform standby duty, environmental protection (oil spill recovery), rescue operations (firefighting, helicopter evacuation), and diving support.

• The three sisterships were ordered in August 2014 under a contract worth USD 380 million, following a 20-year service agreement between SCF and SEIC (Sakhalin Energy, operator of Sakhalin-2).
• The vessel’s keel was laid on December 17, 2015, launched on June 30, 2016, and delivered on March 3, 2017.
• Arctech Helsinki specializes in Arctic icebreakers and offshore supply ships.
• United Shipbuilding Corporation (founded 2007) oversees Russia’s shipbuilding industry, employing over 80,000 people in 40+ shipyards, design offices, and repair yards.

Other recent Russian icebreaking support vessels include Gazprom Neft’s Alexander Sannikov and Andrey Vilkitsky (both 2018), which serve Gazprom’s Arctic Gate (Novy Port offshore crude oil terminal) at the Novoportovskoye field.

Gennadiy Nevelskoy icebreaker vessel details

The vessel is powered by six Wartsila marine diesel engines (generator sets) with a total output of 21 MW. Propulsion is diesel-electric, with two ABB Azipods (model VI1600, combined output 13 MW) plus two bow thrusters (2.6 MW).

The ship has a scientific moon pool (“wet porch”) – a hull opening that provides direct access to the water, allowing deployment of underwater instruments (ROVs, AUVs) and divers.

• Max draft: 7.9 m (26 ft) fully loaded
• Deadweight: 3670 tons
• Icebreaking capability: 1.7 m (6 ft) thick ice, ahead and astern
• Icebreaking speed: 3 knots (5.6 kph / 3.5 mph) in 1.5 m (5 ft) ice
• Endurance: 30 days
• Ice class: Icebreaker6 (RMRS – Russian Maritime Register of Shipping)
• Cargo capacity: deck 709 m², liquid bulk 3850 m³
• Crew and personnel capacity: 70 (28 crew + 42 specialists)
• Firefighting: 2 monitors (1200 m³/hour each), water spray capacity 1000 m³/hour
• Rescue capacity: 70 people

Note: In areas with poor AIS coverage, tracking the vessel’s real-time position may be unavailable. CruiseMapper’s full list of icebreakers and icebreaking research ships can be found in the "itinerary" section of our Icebreakers hub, with fleets listed by state.