Murmansk Branch News

45th anniversary of the Krasin icebreaker

In the day of the 45th anniversary of the icebreaker Krasin, the management of the Murmansk Branch visited the ship to congratulate its crew.

The icebreaker was launched in 1976, and on April 28 of the same year, the national flag of the USSR was solemnly hoisted on the icebreaker.

The diesel polar icebreaker Krasin with a capacity of 30.5 MW was built at the Wärtsilä shipyard (Värtsilä) (Helsinki, Finland) by order of the Sudoimport Foreign Trade Association (USSR).

This is the third in a series of three icebreakers of the Yermak type, built by Finland by order of the USSR. The first two icebreakers were Yermak and Admiral Makarov, built in 1974 and 1975, respectively.

Until 1990, the icebreaker "Krasin" has been working on the lanes of the Northern Sea Route as part of the fleet of the Murmansk Shipping Company, then it was transferred to the seaport of Vladivostok.

In 2005, the icebreaker Krasin was chartered by the US Antarctic Program to open the passage to McMurdo Antarctic research station and provide assistance for a supply vessel and a tanker.

In 2011, the icebreaker played a key role in the rescue operation in the Sea of Okhotsk. Stuck in the ice, the floating base Sodruzhestvo, the transport refrigerator Bereg Nadezhdy, the research vessel Professor Kiezewetter and the trawler Mys Elizavety requested help to be rescued from ice captivity. Icebreakers Krasin and Admiral Makarov were sent to help the vessels and successfully brought the vessels to clean water.

At the moment the vessel is replenishing fuel and provision reserves in the seaport of Murmansk and will soon go to the Kara Sea, where it will provide icebreaking assistance for vessels headed to the seaport of Sabetta.

The management of the Murmansk Branch congratulated the crew of the vessel on their anniversary and wished them success in preserving the traditions and high professional level of specialists operating the icebreaker Krasin.

For reference:

The icebreaker Krasin was named after the Soviet revolutionary and political figure Leonid Borisovich Krasin.

Basic specifications of the icebreaker:

Vessel class:
KM(*) LL2[2]
Length: 
134.84 m
Width:
26.05 m
Draft:
11 m
Draught:
20,247 tons
Gross register tonnage: 
14,058
Sea endurance:
90 days
Power of the main
propulsion unit: 

30.5 MW
Icebreaking capability:
1.5-2 meters at the spead of 4-6 knots
Sailing rate in the open water:      
20.3 knots
Crew:
58 persons