Finland orders LNG fueled icebreaker

FEBRUARY 17, 2014 — Finland’s Arctech Helsinki Shipyard has now received an order, which has been in the works for quite a while, for the Finnish Transport Agency’s new basic icebreaker. The procurement cost of the icebreaker totals EUR 123 million of which EUR 24 million is being provided by the EU.

Designed by Aker Arctic Technology and ILS Oy, the vessel has been planned especially for operations in the most demanding icebreaking conditions in the Baltic Sea. In addition to breaking ice, it will be able to perform oil spill response operations and emergency towing in open sea conditions in winter and summer and will operate year round.

It will be dual fuel diesel and LNG powered.

Although the ship will be owned by the Finnish Transport Agency, its operations will be put out to tender.