A new chapter in Arctic towage has begun as a newly delivered ice-class tugboat built by Damen Shipyards officially entered service at the Port of Luleå.
The Victoria is the first vessel of Damen’s Azimuth Stern Drive Tug 3413 ICE design, built specifically for Arctic conditions, and is also reportedly the first to deploy Steerprop’s CRP (contra-rotating propeller) azimuth propulsion system in the tugboat segment.
“This vessel, our second ice-class project with Damen and the first to feature Steerprop CRP propulsors was driven by the customer’s need for exceptional ice performance in the most demanding Arctic conditions,” said Juho Rekola, director of sales and project management at Steerprop.
“They needed a propulsion solution they could rely on to operate efficiently and safely through heavy ice.”
The 34-metre tug is equipped with two Steerprop SP 60 CRP ECO units, each rated at 3,700 kW and certified to 1A Super ice class. With dual propellers rotating in opposite directions, the system improves energy efficiency and manoeuvrability in both ice and open water. Steerprop says the CRP ECO system delivers 10–17% more net thrust than conventional configurations.
Located on the northern Gulf of Bothnia, Luleå is Sweden’s ‘gateway to the Arctic’ and demands year-round reliable tug operations. Victoria meets that need, capable of maintaining 8 knots through 1.1 metres of floe ice and 3 knots through level ice of the same thickness.
The vessel, built at Damen’s Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam, delivers 72.8 tonnes of bollard pull ahead and 68.5 tonnes astern, with a top speed of 14.1 knots.
