refrigerated cargo, and dry bulk material (such as
currently in use in the Baltic Sea, Greenland, and
ore, grain, or coal). It is fitted with a stern ramp
the Russian Arctic. A sister ship, Uikku, was modi-
and 40-ton-capacity cranes (operable in 40C am-
fied in 1993 to accomodate a 16,000 hp, azimuthing
bient temperatures) that allow cargo exchange
diesel-electric propulsion system, capable of gen-
where there are no pier facilities. These ships are
erating 15,300 hp at the shaft. Its deadweight was
174 m long, have a maximum draft of 10.5 m, an
also increased to 16,500 t.
operating range of 16,000 nm, and are manned
The Mikhail Strekalovsky dry bulk cargo ship was
with a crew of 39. The 20,600-hp diesel powerplant
German-built. It was launched in 1981, and the
delivers 19,000 hp at the shaft to enable it to travel
class was expanded to a total of 14 ships in the
at 17 kn in open water when fully loaded. It is ice-
three years following. It is a single-screw, single-
classed as ULA, the highest freighter rating in the
deck vessel (Fig. 8); it carries a crew of 36 and a
Russian Registry, and it is able to operate indepen-
cargo that is mainly ore, ore concentrates, apatites,
dently and continuously at 2 kn in 1-m-thick ice.
and grain. It is fitted with five 12.5-ton cranes and
Special ice navigation features include a low-fric-
one with 25-ton capacity. Its 11,050-hp diesel
tion hull coating and air-bubbling and water-jet-
powerplant produces 9,960 hp at the shaft, which
ting systems to enable easier passage. The two
moves the vessel at 15.2 kn when fully loaded and
Finnish yards of Wartsila and Valmet produced
provides an operating range of 11,000 nm. Its di-
the first 14 of these ships; the first, the Noril'sk, was
mensions are 162.1 m loa, 22.9 m beam, 9.9 m draft,
completed in 1982. Five more were built between
and 19,252 dwt. It is a UL-class vessel with an
1985 and 1987. As of July 1994, 16 were owned by
icebreaker bow and is capable of operating in bro-
the Murmansk, Far Eastern, and Sakhalin ship-
ken ice of some thickness and concentration. How-
ping companies and operated along the NSR. The
ever, an actual icebreaking capacity is not listed.
remaining three are owned by North Bulk Ship-
Half of these ships are now Cypriot-owned (North
ping, fly the flag of Cyprus, and their home is the
Bulk Shipping). Of the remaining seven, five are
Cypriot port of Limassol.
owned by MSC and two by FESCO, and they con-
The Lunni-class liquid bulk carrier is a Finnish-
tinue to operate along the NSR.
built vessel (Fig. 7) that is currently being used by
The Arktika-class icebreaker is a series of five
Arctic Shipping Services, a jointly-owned Finnish
Russian nuclear-powered vessels that were built
and Russian venture, to transport petroleum prod-
by the Admiralty Ship Yard. These are the largest
ucts along Russia's northern coastline. The diesel
and most powerful icebreaking ships ever built
propulsion system generates a total of 15,400 hp,
and are the major reason for the year-round mari-
which can move the ship through open water at
time activity that occurs in the Russian Arctic (Fig.
9). With 75,000 total shp and a nearly limitless op-
14.5 kn. According to A. Tunik,* it is ice-classified
erating range (4 years between fuel rod changes),
as 1A Super under the Det norske Veritas system,
which translates to UL classification† under the
they are capable of operating nearly anywhere in
Russian Register. It is listed by L. Tunik (1994) as
the Arctic Basin, at least in summer. They are called
capable of breaking 1-m-thick ice at a constant
on to perform the most difficult year-round du-
speed of 2 kn. Its dimensions are 164.5 m loa, 22.3
ties, as they are officially rated (L. Tunik 1994) for
m beam, 9.5 m draft, and 16,000 dwt. There are
2.25-m-thick ice at about 2 kn continuously. Infor-
four ships in the series. They were built in 1976
mational literature (Headland 1994) carried aboard
and fitted with air bubbling systems to enable
the Arktika-class Yamal (App. E) claims a rating of
easier passage through ice and snow. Two are
3-m ice at 3 kn. It also states that the maximum
owned by Nemarc Shipping and two by Neste Oy.
thickness of ice through which it can maintain con-
Their homeport is Naantali, Finland, and they are
tinuous headway is 5 m, and that individual ice
ridges estimated at 9 m thick have been penetrated.
Data published by A. Tunik (1994) following the
Rossiya's 1990 voyage to the North Pole gives a
* A. Tunik, American Bureau of Shipping, New York,
continuous mean speed of 11.4 kn through 1.8-m-
personal communication, 1995.
thick summer ice.
† One technical reviewer for this report disagrees. Trond
The Arktika, first in the series, entered service in
Ramsland of Norway's Foundation for Research in Eco-
1974, and three years later it was the first surface
nomics and Business Administration states that the Lunni
ship to reach the North Pole. In 1978, the one-year-
should be considered ULA-class. The effect that this has
old Sibir' completed the first "high-latitude tran-
on the final results is addressed under Transit Costs, in
sit" of the NSR, navigating to the north of the ma-
the Results of Simulations section.
15
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