15 February 2010
trouble on the neva
A number of agencies recently reported the fact that a new class of ice-breaker built by the shipbuilding company Almaz has failed in recent attempts to navigate the Neva River. The Nevsky Gate, unfortunately, was not able to navigate the river up to the Alexander Nevsky Bridge. The ship lacked the capacity to deal with the ‘unique’/'not common’ thickness of ice on the river, which has been around 80cm deep. The ship is designed for use on the domestic waters of the Neva.
Although it appears as though the company is building a series of boats of different classes, does the failure of the Nevsky Gate have implications for the tasks these new boats are to perform: ‘охраны государственной границы и территориального моря, а также для борьбы с терроризмом и пиратством’ – i.e., protection of state borders and the territorial sea, as well as the struggle against international terrorism and piracy’?
The ship was designed to deal with ice thickness of 70cm.
A video of the ship being launched can be found here.
The original battle of the ice involving Nevsky was dramatized here.
