Russian Defence Ministry announced on Thursday that Ilya Muromets icebreaker is planned to start undergoing shipbuilders’ sea trials in July this year and will become operational in the Russian Navy by the end of this year. This is the first icebreaker over the past 45 years being built solely for the needs of the Russian Navy.
Having laid down on April 23, 2015, Ilya Muromets is being built at the Admiralty Wharfs shipyard in St. Petersburg and will be capable of breaking the ice field up to 80 cm thick.The icebreaker will have a crew of 32 and an endurance of 60 days and an operational range of 12 thousand nautical miles. Its propulsion system also allows it to sail in any direction: forward, backward and to the side.