Aker Arctic icebreaker for Finland

Aker Arctic will work in cooperation with ILS Oy to design the vessel and will assist the Finnish Transport Agency in negotiations with shipyards later this year.

The new icebreaker, which will comply with the Urho-class icebreaker, will be fitted with diesel-electric machinery to allow it to move continuously through 1.6m thick ice. This will enable it to break a 25m wide channel in 1.2m thick ice at a speed of 6 knots in the Baltic Sea.

Antti Vehviläinen, director general, Ministry of Transport, said: “The Finnish foreign trade flows completely depend on efficient winter navigation. Our oldest icebreaker, Voima, is already 60 years old, and it is important that after a fifteen year long gap we are able to renew our icebreaker fleet. Due to the new technology, our goal is to improve the level of icebreaker services and to ensure the competitiveness of our exports.”

In addition, the icebreaker will be equipped for oil spill response operations and will be used to perform emergency towing missions in the open water and icy conditions in the Baltic Sea. Its design enables it to collect oil at a wave height of at least 2m, even in windy conditions.

It will be designed for 50 years of service, with accommodation for a total of 24 people.

The Government has assigned around €125m for the vessel’s construction by winter 2016.