Novorossiysk icebreaker

MS Novorossiysk ("ледокол Новороссийск") is an icebreaking vessel owned and operated by Rosmorport. Rosmorport is a Russian FSUE (Federal State Unitary Enterprise) established in 2012 by the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation.

The vessel (IMO number 9692571) is Russia-flagged (MMSI 273389730) and registered in Sankt-Petersburg.

Among the newest Russian icebreaker ships, Novorossiysk is named after the city in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. Novorossiysk is the country’s primary Black Sea port and Russia’s leading grain-export hub. The vessel can operate in temperatures as low as -40°C. She is one of three newbuilds ordered by the Russian Ministry of Transport from Vyborg Shipyard. Novorossiysk was laid down in December 2012, and on October 29, 2015, Vyborg Shipyard held the vessel’s ceremonial launching. She is a sistership to Vladivostok, delivered in October 2015.

The official ceremony was attended by representatives of Rosmorrechflot (Federal Marine and River Transport Agency), the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, FSUE Rosmorport, USC (United Shipbuilding Corporation), local authorities, and shipyard partners. The hull of Novorossiysk was assembled on Atlant, a semi-submersible barge built specifically for this series. For launching, the Atlant barge was towed to the deepwater area of Vyborg Bay.

Rosmorport’s Novorossiysk itinerary program includes Baltic Sea and Arctic cruise expeditions.

Novorossiysk icebreaker vessel details

Project 21900 and 21900M icebreakers (also known as LK-16) comprise a series of five Russian icebreakers. Two Project 21900 vessels (Sankt Peterburg and Moskva) were built at Baltic Shipyard in St Petersburg, while three Project 21900M vessels were constructed as follows: two at Vyborg Shipyard (Vyborg, Leningrad Oblast) and one at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.

The primary purpose of this class is to assist heavy-tonnage ships and tow floating structures in both open water and ice conditions.

The 21900M-class double-deck icebreakers are fitted with a helideck and have an improved design and enhanced performance characteristics compared to the 21900-class vessels. Project 21900M ships are classified by RMRS (Russian Maritime Register of Shipping) as ice class "Icebreaker6". Their maximum icebreaking capability is 1.5 m. These icebreakers are intended for operations in the Baltic Sea and along the Northern Sea Route on Russia’s Arctic coast.

Besides Novorossiysk, the other two Project 21900M sisterships are Murmansk (2015) and Vladivostok (2015).

The services performed by these modern Russian icebreakers include towage, escorting heavy-tonnage vessels, salvage operations and assisting ships in distress, firefighting on floating facilities, and transportation of general cargo.

The vessel’s onboard facilities include 1 dining room, a sauna, 1 indoor heated swimming pool, 1 elevator, and 1 helipad (helideck).

• Max draft: 8.5 m (28 ft)
• DWT (deadweight tonnage): 5,370 tons
• Displacement: 10,000 tons
• Icebreaking capacity: 1.5 m
• Cargo capacity: 33 TEU (containers)
• Cargo deck size: 800 m2 (8,600 ft2)
• Range: 20,000 km (13,000 mi)
• Powerplant: Four Wärtsilä diesel engines (6.75 MW each, total output 27 MW)
• Propulsion: Diesel-electric; 2× Steerprop azimuth thrusters (8.7 MW each, total output 17.4 MW)

Note: In areas with limited AIS coverage, tracking the vessel’s real-time location may be impossible. CruiseMapper’s list of all icebreakers and ice-breaking research ships is available in the "itinerary" section of our Icebreakers hub, where all countries and their fleets are listed.