Evpatiy Kolovrat (icebreaker)

In the mid-2010s, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation announced that a fleet of new auxiliary icebreakers would be built for the Russian Navy as part of the ongoing fleet renewal program to replace Soviet-era vessels.[11] However, the initial plans for the construction of four 6,000-tonne (5,900-long-ton) Project 21180 icebreakers was revised after the lead ship, Ilya Muromets, turned out to be too expensive. As a response to this, Vympel Design Bureau developed a revised design, 21180M, with about two thirds of the displacement and more limited functionality compared to the bigger vessel.[1][12]

The construction of the Project 21180M icebreaker, estimated to cost between 5 and 6 billion rubles, was awarded to the Saint Petersburg-based Almaz Shipbuilding Company in 2017[1] and the keel of the vessel was laid on 12 December 2018.[3] The hull of Evpatiy Kolovrat, named after the 13th century bogatyr described in The Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan, was launched on 24 November 2020.[4] In August 2022, the unfinished vessel was towed to the Baltic Shipyard for the installation of its mast prior to sea trials in the Gulf of Finland in December.[13][14] Evpatiy Kolovrat was scheduled to join the Russian Navy before the end of the year,[15] but remained in Saint Petersburg until January 2023 when the vessel departed for her home port in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky under tow by the Russian tugboat Sarmat.[5][16][17] The six-month delivery voyage was completed in mid-July.[18]

There are plans to build a second Project 21180M icebreaker for the Northern Fleet following on Evpatiy Kolovrat. Service entry is envisaged for 2027.[19] The keel of the vessel, Svyatogor, was laid on 1 September 2023.[20]

The 4,080-tonne (4,020-long-ton) Evpatiy Kolovrat will be 82 metres (269 ft) long overall, have a beam of 19 metres (62 ft), and draw 4.6 metres (15 ft) of water.[6] The icebreaker will be served by a crew of 28.[6]

Evpatiy Kolovrat will feature a diesel-electric power plant with three 3.5-megawatt (4,700 hp) diesel generators that provide electricity for both propulsion motors and auxiliary systems.[7] The icebreaker will be propelled by three stainless steel monoblock propellers,[21] two driven by Steerprop azimuth thrusters and the third by a fixed shaft line.[22] In addition, the vessel will have a 700 kW (940 hp) bow thruster.[8]

Evpatiy Kolovrat will be classified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping with ice class Icebreaker6[21] which requires the vessel to be capable of operating in level ice with a thickness of 1 metre (3.3 ft) in a continuous motion and her hull strengthened for navigation in non-Arctic waters where ice can be up to 1.5 metres (5 ft) thick.[23] The vessel's speed in open water will be 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) and range 7,600 nautical miles (14,100 km; 8,700 mi).[6]