Top 10 Biggest Ice Breaker Ships In The World In 2024

Icebreaker ships, navigating through ice-covered waters, require features such as a strengthened hull, an ice-clearing shape, great momentum and the power of a robust engine to push through the frozen land. Ice breaker ships are of utmost importance in ice-clad regions, wherein waterways need to be made accessible by clearing off the layers of ice.

Here are the top 10 biggest icebreaker ships in the world, listed according to their lengths.

1. Arktika

Arktika is one of the latest nuclear-powered icebreakers of Russia, developed under Project 22220. It is currently the largest and most powerful icebreaker ship in the world.

Arktika is 173.3 m long and 168 feet tall at its highest point, giving excellent visibility of the surroundings and the ice below the ship.

The ship displaces around 33,530 tonnes with a draft of 10.5 m. Its Nuclear turbo-electric propulsion is capable of producing a maximum speed of 22 knots and at least 1.5–2 knots while breaking 9ft thick ice.

2. Sibir

Sibir is another nuclear-powered Russian icebreaker ship that is made under the same project as Arktika. The ship was launched in 2017 and delivered in December 2021.

The draft of the vessel is between 8.65 and 10.5 as it operates efficiently both in shallow Arctic river estuaries as well as along the Northern Sea Route.

Its LOA is 569 ft or 173.3 m long and it has a maximum beam of 112 ft, corresponding to a displacement between 25,540 and 33,530 tonnes.

3. NS 50 Let Pobedy

50 лет Победы in Russian, or 50 Years Since Victory, is a Russian Arktika class nuclear-powered icebreaker. It boasts exceptional manoeuvrability and a top speed of 21.4 knots.

With a crew of 140 and a displacement of 25,168 tonnes, it is 524 ft or 159.6 m long and is designed to break through ice up to 2.8 meters thick.

Armed with a digital automated control system, the spoon-shaped bow design increases the efficiency of breaking the ice. Modern comforts onboard include an exercise facility, a massage facility, a swimming pool, a restaurant, a library, and a music salon.

4. Taymyr & Vaygach

Taymyr and Vaygach are shallow-draft nuclear-powered icebreakers built in 1989 for the Soviet Union in Finland. Their overall length is around 498 ft or 151.8 m, with a beam of approx. 92 ft.

Their displacement is around 21,000 tonnes at the maximum draft, which is 30 ft.

5. Yamal

Yamal is a Russian nuclear class icebreaker operated by Atomflot. Its name means End of the Land in Nenets.

Yamal can carry one helicopter and several Zodiac boats. It has amenities such as a large dining room for 100 passengers, a library, a passenger lounge, an auditorium, a volleyball court, and a gymnasium.

It displaces 23,000 tonnes at a draft of 11m. The ship is 486ft or 148 m long and 98ft wide. It has two nuclear reactors, an endurance of 7.5 months and a 189-member crew.

6. Viktor Chernomyrdin

Viktor Chernomyrdin is another Russian icebreaker that was outfitted at the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg.

She is the largest and most powerful diesel-electric-powered icebreaker built in Russia, having four diesel engines of 8,700kw each.

With an overall length of 482 ft or 146.8 m and a beam of 94 ft, it displaces 22,000 tonnes with a draft of 28-31ft.

7. Shirase

Shirase is a Japanese icebreaker ship and one of the four Antarctic icebreakers operated by Japan’s maritime self-defence force.

The ship is 452.9ft or 138 m long with a beam of 28 m and a displacement of around 20,000 tonnes. Driven by four diesel-electric motors, it produces a combined power of 22,000 KW. It can carry 8- scientists and 1,100 tons of cargo.

Shirase icebreaker is equipped with a unique auxiliary icebreaking system, which consists of holes on the bow of the ship through which it sprays water to wet the snow accumulated on the ice, which makes the ice easier to hold and thereby improves the icebreaking effect.

8. Kapitan Dranitsyn

Kapitan Dranitsyn is another Russian icebreaker in the top 10 list. It has been modified as a passenger vessel with a capacity to carry 100 passengers and equipped with public accommodations; spacious lounges, bars, a library, and other recreational facilities.

It has a displacement of 14,917 tonnes, a gross tonnage of 12,919 tonnes and a deadweight of 4,515 tonnes.

Its overall length is 423.3ft or 129.02 m with a beam of 87.1ft. It is powered by a 6 Wartsila-Sulzer engine.

9. RRS Sir David Attenborough

The Royal Research Ship or RSS Sir David Attenborough is an ice-class research vessel for the Antarctic region operated by the British Antarctic Survey. It also serves the purpose of logistic supply in the region.

The ship is built to carry two helicopters and has a cargo capacity of 900 cubic meters. It can break up to 1 m thick ice at a speed of 3 knots. Her gross tonnage is 15,000 tonnes and DWT is 5000 tonnes.

The overall length of RRS Sir David Attenborough is 423ft or 128.9 m and its width is 79ft. It is built with accommodation for 30 crew and 60 research staff.

10. USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11)

Constructed by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle and commissioned in 1977, Polar Sea is one of the world’s most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker ships.

The Polar Sea boasts a displacement of 11,000 tonnes, a length of 399 ft or 122 m and the ability to progress through 6 ft of ice at 3 knots.

It carries a crew of 24 officers, 20 chief petty officers, and other 102 engaged. This icebreaker ship has four sizable lounges, a library, a gym, and a small store.

It also has satellite telephones, radio equipment, a photo lab, a library, etc. It serves as a scientific research platform with its onboard laboratories concerning geology, vulcanology, oceanography, sea-ice physics, and other disciplines.

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About Author

Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid writer, possessing immaculate research and editing skills. Author of several academic papers, she has also worked as a freelance writer, producing many technical, creative and marketing pieces. A true aesthete at heart, she loves books a little more than anything else.

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