The Festival of Icebreakers 2015 was held in St. Petersburg, Russia at the end of last week. The festival was organized as a dedication to the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Victory in the Great Patriotic War, WW II and in honor of the brave participants of the Arctic Convoys.
The Icebreakers Moskva, Ivan Kruzenshtern and Kapitan Sorokin owned by North-West basin branch in Rosmorport were operating on the Big Neva River. The spectacular show was joined by the historic 1916 icebreaker Krasin, a branch of the World Ocean Museum in St. Petersburg.
During the festival days visitors were able to board on the icebreaker’s decks and examine the ships in organized excursions, which presented the capabilities of the modern icebreaking fleet of Russia. In the tour program a historical information about the dramatic and heroic times in the history of Arctic exploration and the Arctic Convoys of the World War II was presented as well.
Part of the festival program were visitors tours of two shipyards based in St. Petersburg. Tourists and residents of St.Petersburg were able to visit the museum of Admiralty Shipyards and to Baltiysky Shipyard, which is building the new icebreaker Arktika.
The icebreakers parade was held under the support of JSC “PORT FLEET”.
On 3rd of May, the icebreakers and some icebreaking tugs took part in a special musical show, performing something resembling a sea waltz. Opera stars and a symphony orchestra from St. Petersburg were as well part of the spectacular sea show.
The Icebreaker Festival 2015 was also a host of the 7th Maritime Youth Festival “Morfest 2015”.
Among the organizers of the festival were the Marine Board of the St. Petersburg‘s Government, the Russian Union of culture professionals, Adm. Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping, Admiralty Shipyards, Society “Arctic Convoy” and some other maritime organizations. Anatoly Konstantinov, the president of the Maritime Education was the project manager of the event.