Laureates of the international contest staged by the Russian Ministry of Energy for the best scientific, engineering and innovation projects aimed at the development of Arctic and Continental Shelf were announced at the International Exhibition and Conference Offshore Marintec Russia. In the nomination Development of Science & Technology the award was conferred on the project of Krylov State Research Centre «Development of modern technologies for safe passage of heavy-tonnage ships in ice based on innovative icebreaking techniques» performed by a group of KSRC staff led by D. Sc. Kirill Sazonov.

Based on theoretical and experimental investigations into various methods of heavy-tonnage ship pilotage in ice an innovative system has been developed and patented in the Russian Federation, which is designed for making wide (50m +) channels in ice. Channels of such width allow safe navigation passage in ice, including ice pressure conditions, for practically all types of heavy-tonnage ships.

This solution is provided by a novel icebreaker design with multiple hulls integrated into one platform. Individual hulls do not overlap each other enabling efficient ice breaking by side hulls. The ice breaking resistance is thus reduced and, therefore, the power requirements for making wide ice channels are diminished. The ice strength and maneuverability have been tested and evaluated in the ice model tank of the Krylov State Research Centre.

According to the estimates of the Krylov Centre this innovative icebreaker could be efficiently used to assist heavy-tonnage tankers and gas-carriers in the Arctic seas, e.g. for shipments from the Obskaya Guba. Her design and construction costs are estimated at 35 bn rubles.

Nowadays such wide channels in ice are made as a rule jointly by two conventional icebreakers whose combined construction and operation costs are almost time and again higher as compared to the innovative multi-hull icebreaker.