Named Ivan Frolov, in homage to a Russian geographer, oceanography specialist and glaciologist, born in 1949 and died in 2020, this ship was laid down at the end of October in Saint Petersburg. Scheduled to be delivered in 2028 to Roshydromet, the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, it will measure 164.8 meters long, 26 meters wide and 8.5 meters draft, its displacement expected to reach 25,300 tonnes . Equipped with an ice-breaking hull, with an Arc7 classification allowing it to cross more than 2 meters of ice floe thickness, the Ivan Frolov will be able to reach speeds of 16 knots in open waters.
Armed by a crew of 70 sailors, it will be able to accommodate 170 scientists who will have 20 laboratories on board. Equipped with significant lifting means, allowing the handling of containers and equipment, the Ivan Frolov will have a hangar capable of housing two helicopters and a platform capable of accommodating a Mi-8 or Ka-32 type machine.
It is ultimately intended to succeed the old Akademik Federov (141 meters, 16,200 tonnes), built in Finland and put into service in 1987. But this venerable ship, presented as in good condition by the Russians, should continue its career once the new unit entering the fleet, as long as it is possible, the head of the Russian hydrometeorological service told the TASS news agency, which also still relies on an even larger unit old, the Mikhail Somov (133 meters, 14,135 tons), entered the fleet in 1975 and which is still in service.
Owned by Roshydromet, the new vessel will be operated by the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI). It will lead research missions and logistical operations for the benefit of Russian scientific bases in the Arctic and Antarctica. “After commissioning, the ship will become the flagship of the Roshydromet fleet. It will house a powerful scientific complex on board, which will make it possible to carry out research even in the most difficult conditions, including studies on the seabed, the atmosphere and space. And in general, this multi-purpose project will ensure the uninterrupted operation of the Roshydromet polar stations,” declared Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Patrushev on the occasion of the laying-up ceremony of the Ivan Frolov. . The latter also emphasized that “the study of the Arctic and Antarctic is one of the key areas of activity of the Federal Service. More than 20 expeditions are already carried out each year. They make it possible to monitor climate change, collect data for the development of navigation on the Northern Sea Route and clarify the border of the Russian continental shelf. And the Deputy Prime Minister concluded that “the appearance of the new ship will certainly strengthen our position in the polar regions”.
The Ivan Frolov will be, according to the Admiralty Shipyards, the largest ship of this type in the world. It will notably be a little larger than the new Australian Nuyina, a scientific and logistical icebreaker 160.3 meters long, 25.6 meters wide and 25,500 tonnes commissioned in 2021. It will more clearly outperform the British Sir David Attenborough, by 128.9 meters long and 24 meters wide, entered the fleet in 2020.
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