Russian Defense Ministry has signed a development contract for two patrol ships of the Project 23550.

The ships are to be delivered to the Russian Navy before 2020. They will be manufactured at the Saint-Petersburg-based ‘Admiralty Shipyards’, defense agency press service reports.

The type 23550 ice-class ship is a fundamentally new vessel. It comprises towing, ice-breaking as well as patrol characteristics. The ship can be operated in tropical as well as Arctic waters and can break up to 1.5 meter-wide ice.

As of now, there are no similar ships in the world.