LNG fueled icebreaker starts sea trials

Polaris departed shipyard on first sea trial last month

MAY 12, 2016 —The world’s first LNG dual fueled icebreaker recently left the Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, which is owned by Russia’s United Shipuilding Corporation) for its first sea trials.

Under construction for the Finnish Ministry of Transport, the icebreaker was christened Polaris in a shipyard ceremony in December.

Though the 110 m vessel’s primary mission will be icebreaking and assisting of vessels in ice conditions, she will also be able to perform oil spill response operations, emergency towing and rescue operations under demanding conditions in the Baltic Sea all year round.

The vessel will be able to move continuously through 1.6 meter thick ice, and be capable of breaking a 25 meter wide channel in 1.2 meter thick ice at a speed of 6 knots. It will also be able to reach an average assistance speed of 9 to 11 knots and in open water the service speed will be a minimum of 16 knots.

She has also been designed for a 50 years service life.

Designed for operation on both low sulfur diesel and LNG, Polaris is powered by one 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF, two 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF, and two 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF engines.