On April 21, 2017 within the framework of the working visit to Murmansk the chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting dedicated to the development of the transport infrastructure of the North of Russia.

During the examination of the objects of the Murmansk traffic center and seaport's waters the chairman of the Government visited a new diesel-electric icebreaker Novorossiysk (of the 21900М project, set afloat in 2015). The vessel was also visited by the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Maksim Sokolov and Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation – the head of the Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport Viktor Olersky. The guests of honor examined the vessel and met with the Novorossiysk crew. The icebreaker's master Yaroslav Verzhbitski reported about the navigation results: “In 2017 Novorossiysk delivered more than 160 tonnes of cargo to the Frantz Josef Land Archipelago islands and escorted more than fifty vessels in the White Sea”.

While visiting the icebreaker Dmitry Medvedev left a note in the visitors' book: “I wish Novorossiysk icebreaker crew success in their work, light ice and always at least one finger of water under the keel!”.

In the near future in order to perform ice trials the “Novorossiysk” icebreaker will leave the Murmansk Seaport for the waters of the western section of the Arctic for specification requirements confirmation.  

Video report of the Murman State Radio Television Company