Arctech to build new icebreaker for Finnish Transport Agency
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard will build the new icebreaker for the Finnish Transport Agency. The Finnish Transport Agency informed about the results of the tendering process on the 22nd of January 2014, the company said in its press release.
The Finnish Transport Agency procures a new icebreaker to renew the aging fleet of state-owned icebreakers, to improve the level of icebreaker services and to ensure the competitiveness of Finnish exports. The procurement is worth 123 MEU and the final contract will be signed by the end of February. The vessel will be delivered by winter 2016.
”It is great that the new icebreaker of the Finnish government will be built at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, which has over 100 years experience in building of arctic vessels. We have the best know-how and experienced builders for such projects. Winning this tender was only possible with USC’s support”, says Esko Mustamäki, the Managing Director of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.
The new icebreaker of the Finnish Transport Agency features the highest technology and has been designed especially for the demanding icebreaking operations in the Baltic Sea. The vessel will be able to move continuously through about 1.6 m thick level ice, to break a 25 meter wide channel in 1.2 meter thick ice at speed of 6 knots, as well as to reach 9…11 knots of average assistance speed in the Baltic Sea. In open water the service speed will be minimum 16 knots. The icebreaker will use both diesel and LNG as its fuel, which diminishes its emissions and operating costs. The vessel will also be equipped for oil spill response operations and emergency towing missions.
