Kapitan Khlebnikov

History

The Kapitan Khlebnikov is a polar icebreaker built in Helsinki in 1981 for the Soviet Union. The shipyard assigned it hull number 430; the nearby-in-time Kapitan Dranitsyn was a different newbuild, hull number 429, completed in 1980. The Khlebnikov’s IMO number is 7824417. Its hull was designed for operations in heavy sea ice, before the ship was later converted for passenger voyages in polar regions.

In 1990, the Khlebnikov was converted into a passenger expedition ship. Quark Expeditions added it to its fleet in 1992; it served there as the flagship icebreaker until 2012. For the 2015/16 season, Quark announced its return to voyages in the Arctic. Its facilities at the time included 51 cabins, a dining room, lounge and bar, as well as a heated indoor pool, sauna, lecture hall and polar shop. Two onboard helicopters expanded the options for excursions and aerial observations in remote polar regions.

Among its best-known expeditions was a voyage in 1996 to 78 degrees south. Later that same season, the Khlebnikov became the first ship to circumnavigate Antarctica with passengers. During its time with Quark, it also carried some of the first commercial passengers to the dry valleys of the Ross Sea region. In the 2007/08 and 2008/09 Antarctic seasons, the Kapitan Khlebnikov was listed under Quark Expeditions in the Antarctic Treaty System fleet list.

As an icebreaker, the Kapitan Khlebnikov also helped return the Alexander Deey to Vanino.

Icebreaker operations in Antarctica

In December 2021, the Khlebnikov supported the resupply of Russia’s Vostok research station in the interior of Antarctica. Three ships delivered a new winter complex weighing nearly 7,000 tonnes, along with fuel. The Khlebnikov cut an ice channel to the ice berth and successively escorted the cargo ships in and back out to open water. There were also 114 people aboard the icebreaker.

The operation was challenging: according to Rosmorport, the ice conditions exceeded the icebreaker’s design limits; nearby icebergs, changing weather and the capabilities of the escorted ships further complicated the work. After completing the resupply mission, the ship set off on its return to its home port of Vladivostok.