Svitzer to deploy two new ice-class tugs in Scandinavia region

Icebreaking tug Svitzer Embla

Copenhagen-headquartered towage operator Svitzer Europe has taken delivery of the first of two new specially designed icebreaking tugs that will support its operations in Scandinavia.

After mobilizing from Turkey’s Med Marine shipyard on the Black Sea, the first tug, Svitzer Embla. will arrive and start working in Sweden at the beginning of April 2021. Soon after, at the beginning of May 2021, the second tug, Svitzer Edda, will be delivered and start mobilising towards Denmark, where she will serve customers throughout Scandinavia.

Both ice-class tugs will strengthen the level of service that Svitzer provides to customers in Scandinavia and further reinforce Svitzer’s presence in the region.

The 30 meter, 60-ton bollard pull ASD TundRA 3000 ICE tugs have been designed by Robert Allan Ltd to tackle a range of conditions specific to the requirements in Scandinavia, where temperatures drop in the winter and create demands for ice breaking to keep ports open to seaborne trade. For instance, the design of the tugs will allow them to pass the locks of Sweden’s Trollhätte Canal to access Lake Vänern and the Gota River to provide ice breaking services.

ICE CLASS 1A

Both vessels are built to Finnish-Swedish 1A ice class standards, and are able to comfortably break ice up to one meter thick.

The tugs’ names have been drawn from Norse mythology: Embla is the name of the first woman created by the gods, and Edda is an Old Norse work of literature written in Iceland during the early 13th Century.

“We are proud to take delivery of both Svitzer Embla and, soon, Svitzer Edda as important additions to our Scandinavian fleet,” said Lise Demant, Managing Director for Svitzer Europe. “As we have just emerged from a very cold winter in Scandinavia, the icebreaking capability of these tugs seems more relevant than ever, as they allow us to enhance our support to customers across the region. At Svitzer, our core focus is on service and safety excellence, and these new ice-class tugs will enable us to continue to provide the highest standard of service to our customers.”