# Uranium Ural (DD-579)

> Ural is a Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreaker, the third ship of the class after Arktika and Sibir. It's operated by Atomflot, part of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and registered in Murmansk. Baltic Shipyard in Saint Petersburg laid its keel on July 25, 2016, and it was launched on May 25, 2019. Its reactors had already been lifted aboard while it was on the slipway. Delivery was planned for 2020 but slipped to 2022 because of delays with its domestically made steam turbines. After sea trials in October 2022, its flag was raised on November 22, 2022, and on December 2 it left Murmansk on its first icebreaking mission, to the Kara Sea. The ship is 172.7 m long and 34 m wide. Two 175-megawatt RITM-200 pressurized-water reactors, fueled with uranium-235 enriched to up to 20%, make steam for two turbogenerators. Their electricity drives three 20-megawatt motors, each turning a 6.2 m four-bladed propeller, for 60 megawatts in total. At full power in deep water, the design calls for breaking level ice 2.8 m thick at a steady 1.5 to 2 knots. By taking on or pumping out ballast water, the crew can vary the draft between about 9 m and 10.5 m. That lets the same ship work the deep Northern Sea Route and the shallow estuaries of Siberian rivers such as the Yenisei. The name had been chosen once before, for the last Arktika-class icebreaker in 1989, which was renamed 50 Let Pobedy during construction. The footage shows Ural's red, white and blue superstructure and dark-blue hull, marked 'УРАЛ' and 'РОСАТОМФЛОТ', moving through snow-covered ice at dusk.

- Department: Tech
- First published: 2025-05-24
- Last updated: 2025-05-24
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/uranium-ural/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **July 25, 2016**: Ural's keel is laid at Baltic Shipyard
- **May 25, 2019**: Ural is launched in Saint Petersburg
- **October 2022**: Ural goes through sea trials
- **Nov. 22, 2022**: Ural's flag is raised, marking its entry into service
- **Dec. 2, 2022**: Ural leaves Murmansk on its first icebreaking mission

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=uranium-ural

## Quick facts

- **DD-579-F01**: Ural's two RITM-200 reactors power three 20-megawatt propeller motors. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (Reactors to propellers))_
- **DD-579-F02**: Ural is designed to break level ice 2.8 m thick. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (2.8 m of ice))_

## Write-up

Two reactors, three propellers. Russia's nuclear icebreaker Ural can push through ice 2.8 m thick.

1. **Third of its class**: Ural is the third Project 22220 icebreaker, built at Baltic Shipyard and run by Rosatom's Atomflot.
2. **2019 to 2022**: It was launched on May 25, 2019, and entered service on November 22, 2022, after turbine delays.
3. **Reactors to propellers**: Two RITM-200 reactors make steam for generators that power three 20 MW propeller motors.
4. **2.8 m of ice**: At full power, it's designed to break level ice 2.8 m thick at 1.5 to 2 knots.
5. **Two drafts**: Ballast lets it ride at about 9 m for river estuaries or 10.5 m for the open Arctic.

## Related case files

- [USS Gerald R. Ford (DD-710)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/uss-gerald-r-ford/): Another nuclear-powered ship
- [Cherenkov Glow (DD-020)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/cherenkov-glow/): The blue glow of a reactor's uranium fuel

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: 'Launched in 2019 and commissioned in 2022': correct. It was launched on May 25, 2019, and its flag was raised on November 22, 2022. Delivery was two years late because of steam-turbine delays.
- **Note**: 'Cut through ice up to 2.8 m thick': that's the design figure for level ice at a steady 1.5 to 2 knots, at full power in deep water.
- **Note**: 'Keep the Northern Sea Route navigable year-round': that's the class's purpose, as part of a larger fleet. One ship alone doesn't keep the whole route open.
- **Note**: 'From 9 to 10.5 m': correct for the working range. The official minimum draft is a little lower, about 8.65 m.
- **Missing**: the reactors run on uranium-235 enriched to up to 20%. They make steam for two turbogenerators, and the electricity drives three 20 MW motors.

## Video: Uranium Ural: Two Reactors, Three Propellers

- Duration: 25.3 s · Published: 2025-05-24
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DKDTK4nSb5x.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? The Ural is a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker designed to keep the Northern Sea Route navigable year-round through Arctic ice. Launched in 2019 and commissioned in 2022. it is powered by two RITM-200 nuclear reactors generating electricity for three massive propellers, allowing it to cut through ice up to 2.8 m thick. Its dual-draft hull lets it operate in both deep ocean and shallow coastal waters, adjusting its draft from 9 to 10.5 m. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: How many nuclear reactors does Ural have?**  
A: Two RITM-200 reactors. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Reactors to propellers) · Wikipedia: Ural (icebreaker); Wikipedia: Project 22220 icebreaker)_

**Q: How many propellers does Ural have?**  
A: Each is driven by a 20 MW electric motor. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Reactors to propellers) · Wikipedia: Ural (icebreaker); Wikipedia: Project 22220 icebreaker)_

**Q: How thick is the level ice Ural is designed to break?**  
A: At a steady 1.5 to 2 knots. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (2.8 m of ice) · Wikipedia: Ural (icebreaker))_

**Q: In which year did Ural enter service?**  
A: Its flag was raised on November 22, 2022. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (2019 to 2022) · Wikipedia: Ural (icebreaker); Rosatomflot (in Russian): Project 22220 universal nuclear icebreaker Ural launched (May 25, 2019))_

**Q: How does Ural change its draft?**  
A: Between about 9 and 10.5 m. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Two drafts) · Wikipedia: Ural (icebreaker); Wikipedia: Project 22220 icebreaker)_

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Ural (icebreaker)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ural_(icebreaker))
- [Rosatomflot (in Russian): Project 22220 universal nuclear icebreaker Ural launched (May 25, 2019)](https://www.rosatomflot.ru/press-centr/novosti-predpriyatiya/2019/05/25/11252-universalnyy-atomnyy-ledokol-ural-proekta-22220-spushen-na-vodu/)
- [PortNews: Nuclear-powered icebreaker Ural of Project 22220 leaves Murmansk for the first operational voyage (December 2, 2022)](https://en.portnews.ru/news/339556/)
- [Wikipedia: Project 22220 icebreaker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_22220_icebreaker)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Uranium Ural." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-579, last updated May 24, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/uranium-ural/