The Russian flag was hoisted on the icebreaker Alexander Sannikov. The icebreaker "Alexander Sannikov" went on sea trials in the Baltic Sea. No worse than atomic predecessors

Shipbuilder's Day in St. Petersburg was celebrated by raising the national flag of the Russian Federation on the most powerful Russian-built diesel-electric icebreaker - the lead icebreaking vessel of the IBSV01 project "Alexander Sannikov" ..

The icebreaker was built specifically to work at the Arctic terminal of Gazprom Neft's Novoportovskoye field. Among the possible future tasks of the "Alexander Sannikov" are icebreaker escort of tankers, towing of ships, participation in mooring and loading operations, rescue operations.

Also, such a vessel will not be superfluous in emergency situations: when extinguishing fires and eliminating oil spills.

The construction of two multifunctional icebreaking support vessels for Gazprom Neft - Alexander Sannikov (serial number 233) and Andrey Vilkitsky (serial number 234) - began at the Vyborg Shipyard in November 2015. A year later, on November 24, 2016, Alexander Sannikov was launched.

The conceptual design of the vessel was created by the Finnish company Aker Arctic Technology. A year ago, the project, the lead ship of which was the Alexander Sannikov, was called Aker ARC 130A.

The project was then renamed to IBSV01. Apparently, in accordance with the coding of the Marine Engineering Bureau, which prepared the technical project. The working design documentation was issued by PKB "Petrobalt".

On May 19, 2018, the Alexander Sannikov left for sea trials. After checking the operability of the ship's systems and equipment, as well as the compliance of the actual parameters with the design characteristics, the vessel received confirmation of readiness for transfer to the customer.

The solemn ceremony, which took place on the Angliskaya Embankment of the Neva, was attended by USC President Alexei Rakhmanov, General Director of the Vyborg Shipyard Alexander Solovyov.

Of course, in addition to shipbuilders and supervisory authorities, the ceremony could not take place without the second party - representatives of the customer. Gazprom Neft was represented by Vadim Yakovlev, First Deputy General Director, and Elena Ilyukhina, Deputy General Director for Legal and Corporate Affairs, who is also Alexander Sannikov's godmother.

Later, Alexander Dyukov, General Director of Gazprom Neft, joined the participants in the ceremony.

The hoisting of the flag was preceded by the ceremony of signing the act of acceptance and transfer of the vessel.

As Vadim Yakovlev noted during the ceremony, with the acceptance of the new icebreaker into the Gazprom Neft fleet, a new stage in the development of the Arctic begins. Now, the keys to the resources of Yamal, which were previously inaccessible, have been "picked up."

In turn, USC President Alexei Rakhmanov recalled that Alexander Sannikov is currently the most powerful diesel-electric icebreaker built at domestic shipyards. The share of Russian "content" in the new icebreaker also exceeds all previously achieved figures.

Alexander Solovyov, General Director of the Vyborg Shipyard, noted that the ship handed over to the customer is the result of the hard work of thousands of people.

After Alexander Solovyov gave Kirill Latyshev, project manager for the construction of the ship "Alexander Sannikov", permission to raise the flag, the banner was raised by two captains: the captain of the commissioning team and the captain of the icebreaker.

The icebreaker "Alexander Sannikov" was built under the technical supervision of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping under the Icebreaker8 class.

The capacity of the IBSV01 project icebreaking vessel is 21.5 MW. With a length of 121.7 m, a width of 26 m and a draft of 8 m, the Alexander Sannikov is able to overcome solid ice up to 2 m thick at a speed of 2 knots. Moreover, moving both bow and stern.

The ceremony of raising the Russian flag on the new icebreaker took place in St. Petersburg. Alexander Sannikov opens up new prospects for year-round supplies of Arctic oil to the world market. This is the first icebreaker built under the Arctic Time program. Under the program, 6 tankers have already been launched and are in operation to transport oil from the Novoportovskoye field. The new icebreaker will begin their regular escort in July. According to Gazprom Neft forecasts, by 2030 the market demand for transportation along the Northern Sea Route will increase by a third, so the presence of a modern icebreaking and tanker fleet is essential for these transportations.

Novoportovskoye field and Novy Port

The Novoportovskoye field is one of the largest oil and gas condensate fields under development on the Yamal Peninsula. It is located 30 km from the coast of the Gulf of Ob. The recoverable reserves are more than 250 million tons of oil and condensate, as well as more than 320 billion cubic meters of gas. The field was discovered in the last century and is located in the eastern part of the Yamal Peninsula, 100 kilometers from the Gulf of Ob.

During the Soviet years, there were no opportunities to transport oil from this area - for many years, only exploration work took place at Novoportovskoye. And only in the 10s of this century, technologies appeared that, in a short time, helped Gazprom Neft to make a breakthrough and be able to begin fully exploiting the field. Efficient development of the Novoportovskoye reserves required the construction of horizontal and multilateral wells, as well as the use of multi-stage hydraulic fracturing.

In 2016, Gazpromneft-Yamal extended the right to use the subsoil of the Novoportovskoye field until 2150. To date, this is the longest license term in Gazprom Neft's asset portfolio. The oil found at the Novoportovskoye field, called Novy Port, belongs to the category of light grades with a low sulfur content (about 0.1 percent). Potential consumers from the countries of Northern Europe, where plants specializing in the processing of light sweet oil, immediately became interested in this.

However, one could speak of serious contracts with Europeans only with a stable, year-round supply of fuel. Gazprom Neft, together with scientists from shipbuilding and marine engineering, began to solve the ambitious task of year-round transportation of raw materials by tankers with the support of icebreakers. To this end, a 105-kilometer long pipeline was laid from the Novoportovskoye field to the coast of the Gulf of Ob, which was connected to the world's first and only oil loading terminal in fresh waters beyond the Arctic Circle.

Through the Gates of the Arctic to Europe

Gates of the Arctic is a unique remote oil loading terminal for transporting oil from the Novoportovskoye field. In fact, this is a huge crane located right in the Gulf of Ob - 3.5 kilometers from the coast. Oil is delivered there via a 10.5 km long onshore and underwater oil pipeline and then goes directly to the tanker.

A tank farm and pumping stations were built with a water hammer protection system, which guarantees the tightness of the entire system. The technological scheme provides "zero discharge" of any pollutants into the water area of the Gulf of Ob. The Gates of the Arctic terminal is a grandiose spectacle - it rises 80 meters above the water. The capacity of the transshipment complex is 8.6 million tons of oil per year.

Thanks to the creation of the Gates of the Arctic, the first oil from the Novoportovskoye field went to Europe along the Northern Sea Route in the summer of 2014. In 2015, winter shipments began, which were accompanied by nuclear-powered icebreakers. But even then it became clear that it was extremely difficult to supply oil in an industrial volume from the field using the usual methods.
The Gulf of Ob is very complex hydrologically - it is shallow, the water in it is practically fresh, and given that the water area is covered with ice for 255 days a year, the thickness of the ice cover here fluctuates around two meters. In addition, in winter, the air temperature is constantly kept at minus 50 degrees Celsius, and strong storm winds blow here.

Under such conditions, the passage of tankers is very difficult, no matter what ice class they have. Modern icebreakers are needed to cut and maintain channels through the ice that cargo ships can navigate on their own. It was for this purpose that the Alexander Sannikov was built. The Gulf of Ob and the Kara Sea will be the place of its permanent deployment - from there, tankers from the New Port leave for the Barents Sea and then go to the ports in Murmansk and Europe. Thanks to the development of this northern sea route, the geography of supplies of Novy Port oil has been expanded to 9 countries over the past few years, including the UK, France, Norway and the Netherlands.

Arctic Fleet of Gazprom Neft

The active development of the Novoportovskoye and Prirazlomnoye fields has increased the number of tanker refueling operations in the Arctic by almost a third. Therefore, Gazprom Neft faced the task of creating its own Arctic fleet. In 2017, by order of the company, a series of Arctic tankers were built, capable of breaking ice up to 1.8 meters thick with a draft of 9 meters and with a carrying capacity of about 35,000 tons. Naturally, there was also a need for icebreakers that could not only navigate ships through hummocks, but also constantly maintain the fairway in access mode, as well as participate in mooring and loading operations, rescue operations, towing ships, fire fighting, and oil spill response. They must be both powerful and at the same time maneuverable.

An order for the creation of two new icebreakers of the ICEBREAKER 8 class has been placed. And so, on June 29, 2018, the first of two vessels of this project, the Alexander Sannikov, was presented on the English Embankment in St. Petersburg before its first trip to the Arctic.

Secrets of the new icebreaker

Icebreaker "Alexander Sannikov" is a real floating city. On clean water, it can accelerate to 16 knots, that is, up to 25 kilometers per hour. In addition, the vessel has a low draft - up to 8 meters, which is ideal for working in shallow water where nuclear icebreakers will not pass. The ship has a multifunctional deck with the possibility of transporting cargo containers, a fire station, a hospital, a helipad. There are also emergency boats, a powerful winch and a crane with a lifting capacity of 26 tons - the functionality of the Alexander Sannikov significantly exceeds most of its nuclear and diesel predecessors.

Video: Popcorner / YouTube

The most important design feature of the ship - "Alexander Sannikov" does not push through the ice, as classic icebreakers do, but cuts it and, as it were, "mills" the ice mass. The secret of the new vessel lies in the special shape of the hull and three dynamic engines located in the stern and bow. It is this technical solution that gives Alexander Sannikov an advantage in maneuverability. If necessary, the icebreaker can turn around 360 degrees in just a minute.

A significant part of the equipment installed on the Alexander Sannikov icebreaker is Russian-made. The Zvyozdochka Shipbuilding Center in Severodvinsk has equipped the vessel with the most modern bow thruster. Domestic manufacturers also provided the icebreaker with modern navigation equipment, navigation bridge, generators - the most important elements that ensure the operation of the icebreaker.

No worse than atomic predecessors

Experts believe that today "Alexander Sannikov" is one of the most high-tech icebreakers. The vessel is built to provide up to 40 days of battery life in extreme temperatures down to minus 50 degrees. On-board computers fully regulate the life support of the icebreaker, start generators, synchronize equipment, manage emergency modes, regulate temperature and technological conditions on all decks of the vessel. The digitalization of icebreaker control has increased the efficiency of the crew - to perform similar functionality on other icebreakers, a twofold increase in the number of crew is required.

With the power of its diesel engines of 22 megawatts, "Alexander Sannikov" shows an icebreaking ability comparable to nuclear icebreakers with greater power. It remains to be added that on the Alexander Sannikov all solid and liquid wastes are stored on board and disposed of on shore by special services. The sewage disposal system on the ship has a closed cycle: they are collected in a special collection tank, from which the effluents are fed to the treatment plant for cleaning and neutralization.

On July 2, 2018, the Alexander Sannikov icebreaker, built for Gazprom Neft at the shipyards of the Vyborg Shipyard, set off on its first voyage beyond the Arctic Circle in St. Petersburg. There are no more icebreakers of similar equipment in Russia. The vessel is built to provide up to 40 days of battery life in extreme temperatures of minus 50 degrees. On-board computers fully regulate the life support of the icebreaker, start generators, synchronize equipment, regulate temperature and technological conditions on all decks of the ship. According to experts, the growing oil production beyond the Arctic Circle in the coming years will require Russia to increase the production of such modern ships of the Arctic class.

The flag is up

Oilmen are opening a new milestone in the development of the Russian Arctic. Last Friday, Gazprom Neft, the only company producing oil on the Russian Arctic shelf, received its first icebreaker Alexander Sannikov. The ship was built under the Arctic Time program, under which six tankers have already been launched and are in operation to transport oil from the Novoportovskoye field. The new icebreaker will begin their regular escort from August.

Thanks to such icebreakers, oilmen will be able to transport oil more efficiently and economically from hard-to-reach areas of the Russian north, Vadim Yakovlev, deputy chairman of the company's board, said during the flag-raising ceremony.

We have built a unique scheme for the export of oil by water along the Gulf of Ob and further along the Northern Sea Route. To solve this problem, the construction of modern powerful vessels is required, and today the Alexander Sannikov icebreaker is the new flagship of the Arctic fleet,” the top manager noted.

The second newest diesel-powered icebreaker, Andrei Vilkitsky, is expected by Gazprom Neft by the end of this year.

According to Gazprom Neft forecasts, by 2030 the demand for transportation along the Northern Sea Route will increase by a third. The development of its own Arctic fleet will allow the company to maintain leadership in the Russian Arctic in the long term.

Arctic innovations

The current generation of icebreakers is considered the most innovative in its class. One of the main technical innovations is a control system capable of completely taking control of the icebreaker's piloting for several days without the need for human intervention.

In addition, the vessel does not actually “press” the ice, as was the case on the icebreakers of the previous generation, but erodes and crumbles it with the help of a special hull and propellers installed both at the stern and under the “bow”. Thus, in solid ice, a ship can move at an average speed of more than 4 km / h, and in clear water it can accelerate up to 30 km / h.

The icebreaker differs from its predecessors in terms of functionality. For example, due to the rather low draft (up to 8 m), it can work without problems in shallow water, where nuclear icebreakers, as a rule, cannot pass. If necessary, the icebreaker is able to turn around or even make a complete 360-degree turn in just a minute. Even under equal conditions, the icebreaker significantly outperforms its comrades-in-arms both in terms of efficiency (on passages in 2 m thick ice, it needs only 22 MW versus 36 MW for nuclear-powered ships of the Taimyr type) and in terms of environmental friendliness (the “zero discharge” principle involves storing all waste up to end of flight).

Own fire station, hospital, helipad, emergency boats, a powerful winch and a crane with a lifting capacity of 26 tons - the functionality of the "Alexander Sannikov" surpasses most of the existing icebreakers. In addition to helping tankers, he can independently transport cargo, act as a towing vehicle and participate in rescue operations.

Technologies for oil

It was not possible for all, even the newest, shipyards of the world to build such a technologically advanced icebreaker. The Vyborg Shipbuilding Plant (owned by USC) invited the world's largest manufacturers from Europe, Japan and Singapore to participate in the creation of the icebreaker, but most of them stated that it was impossible to fulfill the order in such a short time. The Severodvinsk "Zvezdochka" undertook to equip the ship with the most modern thrusters. This is largely due to the uniqueness of the Russian icebreaking shipbuilding industry - no other country in the world has such a fleet. However, until recently, many of the Arctic shipyards were underloaded, and only after 2014 did Russia start a large-scale fleet renewal program based on investment quotas. For example, thanks to Gazprom Neft, the Vyborg Shipyard is fully loaded with orders until 2023.

"Alexander Sannikov" and "Andrey Vilkitsky" will go to the Gulf of Ob to escort tankers with Arctic Novy Port oil. Here, Gazprom Neft is conducting a large-scale operation of the Novoportovskoye field, from which shipments are made through the Gates of the Arctic terminal. This is the only oil loading terminal in the world in fresh waters beyond the Arctic Circle. Due to the fact that the New Port is located 700 km from the existing pipelines, hydrocarbons are exported from there by sea. With the help of the new vessels, the company expects to increase the efficiency and stability of year-round transportation in the Gulf of Ob, which is ice-bound for more than 255 days a year.

This is a very serious challenge, but we accept this challenge. There is a natural depletion of reserves at traditional fields, while demand continues to grow, so the Russian Arctic and hard-to-recover reserves are the future for our oil industry,” Alexander Dyukov, Chairman of the Board, CEO of Gazprom Neft, told reporters.

The volume of work for the new vessel is going to be solid - in 2018 alone, it is planned to produce about 7 million tons of oil at the Novoportovskoye field, and by the beginning of 2020 they want to produce up to 8 million tons annually. With the help of new icebreakers, the company plans to further expand the supply of Arctic oil, which is already exported to nine countries of the world, including the UK, France, Norway and the Netherlands.

Although Russia has the most powerful Arctic fleet in the world, there is still a shortage of new high-tech icebreakers on the market. The purchase of a vessel for an oil company operating in the Arctic is quite logical: maintenance of an oil terminal requires virtually year-round navigation, which is expensive and not always advisable due to rented icebreakers due to increasing technology requirements, the head of the Arktika department said in a conversation with Izvestia and the Shelf laboratory of the Institute of Oil and Gas Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vasily Bogoyavlensky.

According to him, most of the tankers already operating in the Gulf of Ob are capable of moving through the ice themselves, but depending on the ice situation, they may also require escort. Thus, the new icebreakers, according to the expert, significantly increase the safety of oil and gas production on the Russian shelf.

The newest innovative diesel icebreaker of the country, capable of making a 360-degree turn on the spot in a minute and passing through a two-meter-thick ice field, the Alexander Sannikov is leaving St. Petersburg for the first Arctic voyage.

The ship was built at the shipyards in Vyborg on the order of Gazprom Neft to escort tankers in the area of the Northern Sea Route and the Novoportovskoye field on the Yamal Peninsula. About what "Alexander Sannikov" is and why his appearance is another technological breakthrough for our country - in the TASS material.

Diesel preferred to atom

The creators of "Alexander Sannikov" call it the most technologically advanced vessel in its class. It is equipped with an innovative system for maneuvering in solid ice, which allows, with relatively low engine power, to show better ice-breaking capability. In addition, the vessel has fully automated energy management, which increases the efficiency of its operation and provides up to 40 days of autonomous operation at extreme temperatures of minus 50 degrees.

To date, the number of diesel-powered icebreakers in Russia already exceeds the number of nuclear-powered ones by seven times. This is due to a number of advantages of more maneuverable ships. The length of the "Alexander Sannikov" is 121.7 m, the width of the main deck (including fenders) is 26 m. For comparison, the modern nuclear-powered icebreaker of the "Siberia" project is almost a third larger. However, larger dimensions do not mean better performance. The new Gazprom Neft icebreaker is on par with the nuclear giants in terms of operational performance and surpasses them due to lower energy consumption. Tests have shown that with a power of 22 MW, the Alexander Sannikov shows similar icebreaking capability to nuclear-powered icebreakers of the Taimyr and Vaigach types, which consume up to 36 MW for the same work (a third more energy). The secret of the new vessel lies in the special shape of the hull and three dynamic engines located in the stern and bow. This technical solution gives "Alexander Sannikov" advantages in maneuverability, and also allows to overcome dense ice at a speed of more than 2 knots (4 km/h), moving both bow and stern. In clear water, the icebreaker can accelerate up to 16 knots (30 km/h). In addition, the vessel has a low draft (up to 8 meters) for operation in shallow water, where most of the nuclear giants will not pass.

Another important feature of the new icebreaker is its "zero discharge" operation: without any risks to the environment. This approach can be called a new standard for the subsequent development of transport infrastructure in the Arctic, which should function without harming the environment. In the case of the "Alexander Sannikov", its "life support" system is designed in such a way that all solid and liquid waste is stored on board and disposed of on shore by special services.

Investments to the north

Russia retains its position as the main operator in the Arctic and plans to develop Europe-Asia maritime shipping along the Northern Sea Route, especially taking into account domestic projects for the extraction of Arctic oil.

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Description

With the advent of new technologies a few years ago, it became possible to develop one of the largest oil and gas fields under development on the Yamal Peninsula - Novoportovskoye. The appearance of the icebreaker "Alexander Sannikov" is another technological breakthrough to improve the efficiency of logistics along the Northern Sea Route and the supply of oil through the Gates of the Arctic terminal - the world's only oil loading terminal in fresh waters beyond the Arctic Circle.

"Gate of the Arctic"

The shipment of oil through the Gates of the Arctic terminal began in 2016: Russian President Vladimir Putin personally gave the command to the oilmen to start loading the first tanker via video link.

Continuation

According to Gazprom Neft forecasts, by 2030, the demand for transportation along the Northern Sea Route will increase by a third. For example, following the results of last year, the active development of the Novoportovskoye and Prirazlomnoye fields increased the number of tanker bunkerings in the Arctic by almost a third. Gazprom Neft is betting on the creation of its own Arctic fleet. By order of the company, several tankers have already been built and are in operation. Following the icebreaker "Alexander Sannikov" the second icebreaker "Andrei Vilkitsky" will be put into operation. Both of them will operate under the Russian flag and will provide our country with new opportunities for transporting Arctic oil.

Gazprom Neft continues to invest in the development of infrastructure on the Yamal Peninsula in the Novy Port area and plans to achieve maximum efficiency in the extraction and monetization of all types of hydrocarbons produced on the Peninsula. As part of this strategy, the company has already received a license to search for and evaluate oil, condensate and gas reserves at the Yuzhno-Kamennomyssky, Yuzhno-Novoportovsky and Surovy blocks.

Novoportovskoye field

Continuation

The complexity of the development of the reserves of the Novoportovskoye field determines the presence of low-permeability reservoirs, numerous tectonic disturbances leading to highly dissected deposits, and a thick gas cap. To achieve maximum efficiency in the production of high-quality low-sulphur Yamal oil, Gazprom Neft is developing projects for the construction of horizontal and multilateral wells, as well as multi-stage hydraulic fracturing.

The icebreaker "Alexander Sannikov", whose construction began in November 2015, entered the Baltic Sea for the final stage of sea trials on May 19 this year. The vessel "Andrey Vilkitsky" is now also at fitting-out works. Another major VZS project, the port icebreaker Ob, will be launched on June 21 this year.

The degree of readiness of the vessel "Alexander Sannikov", according to the information of the customer, the company "Gazprom Neft", exceeds 98%. In addition to the "Alexander Sannikov", VSZ is building another vessel for "" - the icebreaker "Andrey Vilkitsky", which will also work at the terminal of the Novoportovskoye field. Now, according to VZZ, its construction is completed by 88%. The cost of both icebreakers is 246 million euros.

The deadlines for the delivery of icebreakers were disrupted: initially, the plant had to transfer the finished vessels to the customer by the end of 2018. As VZZ explained to DP, the main reason for the delay in construction is the delay in the supply of equipment for the ship. "Alexander Sannikov" is currently the most powerful diesel icebreaker in the world with the Icebreaker8 class, an innovative system of propulsion and maneuvering in ice. The plant had to buy equipment for it from foreign companies (Swedish ABB). "Due to the geopolitical situation throughout the entire course of construction, both contractual interactions and banking operations with many foreign suppliers were significantly hampered, some of which completely refused to fulfill their contractual obligations," the VZZ explains.

The Gazprom Neft company assures that the current situation "did not affect shipments from the Novoportovskoye field, since two multifunctional icebreaking vessels, Baltika and Vladislav Strizhov, are constantly operating in the waters of the Gulf of Ob near the Arctic Gates terminal."

Problems with the construction of icebreakers for Gazprom Neft also pushed back the deadline for commissioning the port icebreaker Ob, worth $97 million, commissioned by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "" to work on the Yamal LNG project. Completion of the construction of the vessel was originally scheduled for November 2018, but now VSZ plans to commission it only at the beginning of 2019.

FSUE Atomflot told DP that, despite the change in the deadlines for the commissioning of the icebreaker Ob, FSUE Atomflot has no serious claims to the VZS regarding the quality and construction of the vessel. "Currently, work in the Gulf of Ob is being carried out with the involvement of an additional icebreaker. The postponement of the delivery of the vessel will not affect the fulfillment of our contractual obligations to partners," explains Mustafa Kashka, acting. Director General of FSUE "Atomflot"