Sevmash Advances Production of Main Thrust Bearings for Icebreaker "Stalingrad"

Sevmash, a subsidiary of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), is continuing production of the main thrust bearings for the Stalingrad, the sixth serial universal icebreaker of Project 22220.

One set of bearings for this vessel comprises three bearing units. Currently, two of these units have been delivered to Workshop 16 for bearing housing machining; the bearing raceways are also being machined and assembled in this workshop. The housing of the third unit is being assembled in the plant's hull welding shop.

Meanwhile, in a dedicated area of Sevmash Workshop 4, bearing internal filling operations are underway, including the manufacture of bushings and bearing housings with anti-friction layers and filling with hot Babbitt metal. Each unit requires the installation of 24 bearing housings. This stage is one of the most labor-intensive processes in bearing manufacturing.

As planned, after machining is completed, the housings and raceways of the two thrust bearings for the icebreaker Stalingrad will enter the final assembly stage, after which they will be delivered to Baltiysky Zavod. The complete set of components is scheduled for completion in 2027.

The bearing design documentation has been prepared by the Sevmash design bureau in accordance with the customer's technical requirements. This type of bearing has a height of 2.5 meters, a total assembly weight of approximately 25 tons, and about 20 plant departments are involved in the related manufacturing work.

It is known that the Stalingrad of Project 22220 is Russia's sixth serial universal nuclear-powered icebreaker of Project 22220. Its keel was personally laid down by Russian President Vladimir Putin in November 2025 at Baltiysky Zavod in St. Petersburg. The vessel is named after the heroic history of the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II. At the ceremony, a memorial capsule containing soil from the Mamayev Kurgan battle site was installed aboard the ship. The vessel has an overall length of 173.3 meters, a width of 34 meters, a height of 15.2 meters, a shaft power of 60 MW, and a maximum speed of 22 knots in open water. Sevmash is currently advancing the production of its main thrust bearings as planned, with the complete set of bearing components scheduled for delivery in 2027. Once completed, the vessel will further strengthen Russia's nuclear-powered icebreaking capabilities along the Northern Sea Route.