Photos

The picture of the nuclear icebreaker Yamal was done from the helicopter during our trip to the North Pole this July. The voyage started from Murmansk. The latitude is about 86°30', sunny weather, about 0 °С, the ice is ~2 meters thick. You can also find the travelogue of this trip on our site.

The Yamal, the last of the five icebreakers in its series (project 10520), was set afloat on October 18, 1992. The vessel is 150 m long and 30 m wide; its height from the keel to the top of the mast is 55 m, its draught is 11 m, and its displacement is 23,455 tons.

The thickness of the steel in the bow is 48 cm; 11 m closer to the stern is located a steel ice knife 70 cm thick; the thickness of the walls of the hull is 48mm at the bottom and 25 mm above the line of possible contact with the ice.

Propulsion power is supplied by two OK‑900A nuclear reactors with 500 kg of highly enriched uranium (~40 % 235U), which use ~200 g of fuel in a 24-hour period, meaning that the icebreaker can operate for four years without refueling. The thermal power of each reactor is 171 MWt. The horsepower, delivered via three four-bladed propellers, is 75,000 hp.