Taymyr icebreaker

The 1989-built NS Taymyr ("атомный ледокол Таймыр") is a Russian nuclear icebreaker. "NS" stands for "nuclear ship". The vessel is state-owned (by the Russian Federation via FSUE Atomflot) and operated by Rosatom. The Atomflot company provides all Russian nuclear icebreakers with maintenance and technological services. The company also serves the country's special vessels fleet.

The vessel (IMO number 8417481, Helsinki Shipyard/hull number 474) is currently Russia-flagged (MMSI 273135100) and homeported in Murmansk.

One of Russia's icebreaker ships, Taymyr is a nuclear-powered, shallow-draft icebreaking vessel. It is the first in a series of 2 similar-design ships, the second being the sistership Vaygach. The Taymyr ship has a traditional hull for an icebreaker - sloping sides, highly raked stem, cold-resistant steel. Initially designed for 100 crew, Taymyr's superstructure contains accommodations for 138 service personnel.

Besides NS Vaygach, the list of other active Russian nuclear icebreaker ships includes Rossiya (2027/Project Leader), NS Arktika (2020), Sibir (2021), Ural (2022), Yakutia (2024), Chukotka (2026), Vaygach (1990, sistership), Yamal (1992), 50 Let Pobedy (2007), Sevmorput (1988/cargo ship).

This nuclear ship has an auditorium (doubling as a recreational room) and even a winter garden for fresh vegetables during the polar night. Taymyr has a helipad and hangar for a Kamov Ka-32 helicopter. The ship is equipped with a stern notch and standard towing winch for close towing in extreme weather conditions. Taymyr is an ice-class LL2 vessel, which means it is intended for icebreaking operations on Arctic Ocean routes in level ice up to 2 m / 7 ft thick ice during winter and spring. The ship's shallow draft allows it to operate also in rivers and other low-water level locations.

The Taymyr icebreaker's itinerary program offers North Pole expedition cruises and also longer itineraries on the Northern Sea Route along Russia's Arctic coastline.

Russia's nuclear fleet of ice-breaking vessels is used exclusively in the Arctic Ocean for escorting merchant ships and assisting research stations floating in the ice-covered waters north of Siberia. These ships are also used for scientific and Arctic cruise expeditions. The Russian nuclear ice-breakers must sail in ice-cold waters to effectively cool their reactors.

NS Taymyr vessel details

Both Taymyr and Vaygach ships were specifically designed to improve safety. They both operate in areas with only 80 cm / 2,6 ft of water beneath the keel. Their critical systems are duplicated to improve reliability. The design allows the icebreaker to maintain operational capability even after a collision with a 25000-ton cargo ship (SA-15 class) at a max speed of 7 kN (8 mph / 13 kph).

Taymyr and sistership Vaygach are among the last icebreaker ships with the Wartsila Air Bubbling System (abbrev WABS) marine technology implemented. The system releases pressurized air from nozzles (located below the waterline) thus lubricating the hull and reducing the friction with the ice.

Both nuclear ships were constructed at Wartsila Hietalahti shipyard (Helsinki, Finland) - hulls, superstructure, and propulsion. However, their nuclear reactors (power plants) were installed at Baltiysky Zavod (Baltic Shipyard) in St Petersburg, Russia).

The vessel has 1 dining room, Sauna, Library, Auditorium, Passenger Lounge, Volleyball Court, Gymnasium, 1 swimming pool (indoor, heated), Infirmary, 1 elevator, 1 helipad (helicopter deck) with a KA-32 transport helicopter.

• DWT Deadweight tonnage: 3550 tons
• Displacement tonnage: 21100 tons
• Clear path width: 50 m (164 ft)
• Max Draft: 9 m (30 ft)
• Icebreaking capacity: 2 m (7 ft)
• Range: unlimited
• Powerplant: KLT-40M nuclear reactor (171 MW output); 2 x GTA 6421-OM5 steam turbines (18,4 MW output each, or 36,8 MW combined power output)
• Propulsion: Nuclear-turbo-electric; 3 shafts (12 MW output each, or 36 MW combined power output); three 4-bladed fixed pitch propellers (combined power output 38,8 MW).

Note: In the case of poor AIS coverage, tracking the vessel's current location will be impossible. You can see CruiseMapper's list of all icebreakers and ice-breaking research ships in the "itinerary" section of our Icebreakers hub. All states and their fleets are listed there.