MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/. The Project 3262 icebreaker-type tugboat Narvskaya Zastava, designed for the waters of St. Petersburg, has been launched at the Nobel Brothers Shipyard, the Kalashnikov Group reported.

"A significant event took place at Nobel Brothers Shipyard LLC (part of the Kalashnikov Group): the ceremonial launch of the Project 3262 icebreaker-type tugboat Narvskaya Zastava from the slipway into the water," the company said in a statement.

It noted that the event was attended by Kalashnikov Group CEO, board member of the Union of Russian Machine-Building Enterprises Alan Lushnikov, Kalashnikiov Group’s shipbuilding division director Alexander Navolotsky, Nobel Brothers Shipyard CEO Alexander Tsurganov, and Kirill Soloveichik, chairman of the St. Petersburg environmental protection and safety committee.

"The construction of this tugboat has enhanced and strengthened the expertise of the specialists at the Nobel Brothers Shipyard specifically in the construction of ice-class vessels. First and foremost, this expertise includes working with cold-resistant steels, thick-gauge steels, and specialized welding techniques. I am confident that the expertise gained by the shipyard’s team during the construction of the tugboat will undoubtedly grow and be in high demand when building vessels of a similar class," the Kalashnikov Group head said in his speech.

The icebreaker tug Narvskaya Zastava is designed for icebreaking operations in coastal marine areas and inland waterways, including for preventing the formation of ice jams on the Neva River. It will clear ice formations at water intake points on the Neva River for municipal needs and cut channels for ships’ ice escort. The vessel will also be used in emergency rescue, oil spill cleanup, and firefighting operations. The icebreaker tug also features a height-adjustable wheelhouse and collapsible masts specifically to clear low urban bridges without requiring bridge openings on the Neva River. The vessel is designed to accommodate containers with special equipment for oil spill response operations.