KALININGRAD, December 26. /TASS/. Russia’s next-generation icebreaker Ilya Muromets has set off for the Barents Sea to sail to its permanent base in the Northern Fleet after completing state trials in the Baltic Sea, Baltic Fleet spokesman Roman Martov told TASS on Tuesday.
"The icebreaker Ilya Muromets, which left Baltiysk [the Baltic Fleet’s main naval base], will make an inter-fleet passage about 2,000 nautical miles long towards its permanent base in the Northern Fleet," the spokesman said, noting that during the anchorage the crew replenished fuel, water and food supplies.
The Baltic Fleet’s ships and aircraft assisted in the icebreaker’s state trials. During the trials, the sailors checked the operation of the icebreaker’s helideck while shipborne helicopters made over 100 landings on the deck in various weather conditions in the daytime and at night. The icebreaker’s towing capabilities were also tested.
The next-generation icebreaker Ilya Muromets was laid down at the Admiralty Wharf Shipyard in northwest Russia on April 23, 2015 and put afloat in June 2016.
The icebreaker will be used to provide for the operation of the Russian Navy’s Arctic grouping. The icebreaker is 85 m long and 20 m wide, with a draft of 7 m. It can develop a speed of 15 knots and break an ice field of up to 1 m thick. It has a crew of 32.