On 28 January, Sibir embarked on a mission in the Barents Sea to escort two Nornickel-operated vessels — Turukhan (transports cargo for the Company’s investment projects) and Terskiy Bereg (transports cargo for GRK Chernogoroskaya and Vostok Oil).

Today, on 1 February, the ice-breaker completed the escort of Terskiy Bereg in the waters near the Dudinka Port. This was her first mission since being launched. In the coming days, she will return for Turukhan to continue escorting her to the Dudinka Port. Afterwards, Sibir will move on into the Ob—Yenisey region of the Kara Sea.

**Sibir icebreaker at the Dudinka Seaport**

The ice-breaker is expected to significantly increase transport capacity for routes to the Taymyr Peninsula. Nornickel plans to use the vessel to support freight transportation for its own and other projects on the peninsula. The Company also continues to use under a long-term contract another ice-breaker, Taimyr, for escort missions along the Yenisey River.

“We are pleased to see the arrangements we have with Rosatom for using Sibir yield actual results. It was only last year when we signed an agreement of intent, and now the ice-breaker is helping Nornickel boost shipments to Taimyr. This will allow the Company to implement its ambitious investment programme in the Norilsk Industrial District,” said Sergey Dubovitsky Senior Vice President for Strategy, Strategic Projects, Logistics and Procurement.

“For the first time, a nuclear-powered Project 22220 ice-breaker has entered the Yenisey Gulf and carried out a mission in the river’s shallow waters,” said Leonid Irlitsa, First Deputy General Director — Director for Shipping at Atomflot. “She proved to be equally efficient in deep and shallow waters. Despite the up to 1.5 metres-thick ice cover in the Yenisey Gulf, Sibir was able to achieve the service speed.”

For reference

Sibir, the first follow double-draft nuclear-powered Project 22220 ice-breaker (by Atomflot, part of Rosatom), arrived at its home port of Murmansk in January 2022.

Double-draft nuclear-powered Project 22220 ice-breakers are the world’s largest and most powerful. The first follow ship in the series was named after the decommissioned nuclear-powered ice-breaker Sibir, which was the first to navigate all year round between Murmansk and Dudinka (in 1978).

Sibir, first follow nuclear-powered Project 22220 ice-breaker, embarks on maiden mission for Nornickel