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Russian ice-breaking submarine design

Russia is building extensive seabed networks of both hydrocarbon extraction and defense related infrastructure in Arctic waters, including under the ice cap. Maintenance of these structures is hampered by storms and high seas, ice flows and ice cap. Surface ships are therefore sorely limited in application for several months of the year, leaving the seabed infrastructure vulnerable.



In 2017 famous Russian submarine design bureau, Malachite, patented a special purpose submarine design for underwater technical works. In particular, the submarine is intended for the maintenance and repair of underwater mining complexes on the Arctic shelf. The submarine is also covered on their website.







Malachite is not the only Russian submarine Design Bureau hoping to cash-in on the arctic rush. Rubin has proposed several designs, and even Lazurite (who have not had submarine orders since the Cold War!) have got in on the game.



The malachite design is interesting because it features a unique ice-breaking bow and is completely ice-hardened, with fragile elements like the twin propellers (‘screws’) hidden in shrouds and further protected below a wider aft casing.







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The large sail includes an integral hangar for a docked dry submersible, and there are three Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) interfaces; one under the keel, one on top of the bow and one in the port side. There is also a large grab-arm which fully retracts into the bow. Saturation divers are able to exit from the bottom of the submarine and are provided with an internal hyperbaric chamber for compression, living and decompression.



Specifications

Standard displacement: 3,000 tons

Length: 82.5 meters

Beam: 10.4 meters

Draft: 8.3 meters

Operating depth: 400 meters

Speed: 13 knots surface, 12 knots submerged

NPP power: 4 MW

Power of main propellers 2 x 1,300 kW

Ice category: Arc5

Endurance: 30 days

Crew: 35

Submersibles: 1

ROVs: 3







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Key:

1. Ice-hardened outer hull

2. Line of outer hull

3. Nuclear power plant

4. Ice-breaking bow capable of breaking solid ice up to 0.8-1.2 m thick

5. Protective (from ice) casing above props

6. Bow

7. Waterline

8. Bow

9. Lateral ice strengthened belt

10. Keel

11. Reinforced casing

12. Reinforced casing

13. Thrusters

14. Electric motors

15. Prop shafts

16. Main thrusters

17. Vertical stabilizer

18. Manned submersible

19. Lower Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV)

20. Upper Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV)

21. Lateral (port) Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV)

22. Load-lifting claws

23. Autonomous hangar

24. Autonomous hangar

25. Autonomous hangar

26. Autonomous hangar

27. Hyperbaric chamber for saturation divers

28. Lock-out trunk

29. Hydraulic actuator

30. Compensation tank

31. Cable drum



Colored sections

A. Smaller vehicles (manned & unmanned)

B. Forward occupied compartment

C. Second occupied compartment

D. Third occupied compartment

E. Reactor compartment

F. Sonar (Tbc)

G. Engineering compartment

H. Hyperbaric chamber







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