Ice tests of the Ivan Frolov scientific expedition vessel model have been completed in the Ice Basin of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AANI). The new flagship of the Russian polar science will be built in 2028 at the Admiralty shipyards and will become part of the AANIA fleet. The main task of the vessel will be to ensure scientific expedition activities in the Arctic and Antarctic in the interests of the Russian Federation.
Model tests are the final stage of technical design. The model of the future vessel overcomes fields of solid smooth and hummocky ice, artificially created in an ice pool at a temperature of -18 ° C. Thus, one of the key characteristics of an ice navigation vessel is experimentally confirmed – ice permeability and other indicators obtained earlier by calculation in the process of technical design.
"The construction of the world's largest scientific expedition vessel will soon become practical. The Ivan Frolov NPP will operate in all latitudes, from the North Pole to the shores of Antarctica. Its main task will be to provide Russian polar stations, the availability of which is often limited by insurmountable ice. Accordingly, we provide for the technical possibility of unloading the expedition to an unequipped shore. The new vessel will be able to carry sufficient volumes of cargo – up to 2.5 thousand tons. Marine research work will also require high maneuverability from the vessel, which will also be taken into account in the project," said the director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute Alexander Makarov.
"To date, working design documentation has been developed for the manufacture of thirty sections of the vessel's hull. Most of them have been cut and are already at the stage of nodal assembly, several are assembled in volume, two mortgage sections were presented to the customer and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping last month. All documentation of the technical project has been developed and is at the final stage of consideration by the Register, completion of the project approval process and receipt of a positive conclusion are scheduled in April. In accordance with the construction schedule, the laying of the Ivan Frolov NPP should take place in the first quarter of next year, but it can be implemented earlier," said the project manager of Admiralty Shipyards JSC Andrey Yuryev.
The state contract for the construction of the Ivan Frolov scientific expedition vessel was signed in March 2023 between the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) and the Admiralty Shipyards Joint Stock Company. The new vessel will replace the current NES Akademik Fedorov, built in 1987. The Ivan Frolov NPP will correspond to the class of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping Arc7. Its length will be almost 165 meters, and its displacement will be about 25,000 tons. The vessel is designed to comfortably accommodate 240 people, including 70 crew members and up to 170 scientists and members of the aviation squadron. According to the appointment, up to 20 laboratories will be equipped at the NES to carry out research from the ocean floor to the stratosphere. There is also a helicopter complex on board, including two helipads and a hangar for two Ka-32, Mi-8 and Mi-38 helicopters.
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