In the manufacture of domestic icebreakers, a “secret” metal alloy is used, known only to Russian specialists. About this in an interview with socialbites.ca said Leonid Irlitsa, Acting General Manager of FSUE Atomflot, answers a question about the fate of decommissioned icebreakers and the possibility of using their hulls as secondary ferrous metal.
“You can’t hand over this ship for scrap metal. The vault is unique, the metal is secret. Do you think why the Chinese still haven’t built icebreakers? “Technology is not enough,” said Irlitsa.
According to the head of Atomflot, previously China bought the project of the supply ship Ivan Papanin from the Ukrainians in order to try to repeat the technologies used in Russia. But Irlitsa is sure that this agreement did not help China achieve its goal – despite the re-equipment of Ivan Papanin, the Chinese did not manage to create a real icebreaker.
“IT [«Иван Папанин» китайского образца] It is a reinforced ice-class vessel that can move independently in certain ice conditions, but is not an icebreaker in terms of functionality,” said the Atomflot specialist.
According to Irlitsa, a real icebreaker is an independent unit of the fleet, capable of sailing anywhere and in any ice conditions. “Ivan Papanin” does not meet these criteria.
For more information on the status and achievements of the Russian nuclear fleet, – in an interview “socialbites.ca” with Leonid Irlitsa.