Arctech Helsinki books support vessel order from Sovcomflot

APRIL 21, 2014 — Finland’s Arctech Helsinki Shipyard has been awarded a contract to build an icebreaking supply vessel for the Russia´s largest shipping company, Sovcomflot. The new vessel will be built for the North East Sakhalin Offshore region oil and gas field where she will be used as a platform supply vessel for Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (SEIC). The total value of the order is about EUR 100 million.

The project will start immediately and the vessel will be delivered to the client in June 2016. The vessel is a further developed version of the two multifunctional icebreaking supply vessels Vitus Bering and Aleksey Chirikov delivered to Sovcomflot in 2012 and 2013. It will measure 100 m in length and 21 m in breadth. Its six main diesel generator sets have will have a total installed power of about 20,000 kW and a propulsion power of 13,000 kW.

“This order is an excellent continuation for the series of icebreaking multipurpose vessels, that Arctech has built in past few years. With this order Arctech confirms its position as leading builder of arctic offshore vessels,” says Esko Mustamäki, Managing Director of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.

The vessel is designed for extreme environmental conditions in the Sakhalin area. The main duty of the vessel is to supply between land bases and the offshore drilling and production sites. The vessel will be able to safely convey and transfer cargo on deck and bulk cargo underdeck in all seasons. The vessel will also be operating in thick drifting ice for ice management and icebreaking duties in temperatures as cold as minus 35 C°. The icebreaking capability of the vessel is extremely high, the vessel is able to proceed independently in 1.5 meter thick ice. The vessel will be outfitted for emergency evacuation, rescue and fire fighting operations, oil spill response and platform overboard working and helicopter operations. The vessel can also act as diving support vessel including a moon pool feature.

Sovcomflot signed the contract with Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in connection with the signing of a 20 year contract with Sakhalin Energy that also saw the parties sign memorandums of understanding for construction and operation of three additional multifunctional icebreaking standby vessels.

Sovcomflot says that Russian shipbuilders will play an active role in the construction of the new vessels that and structural components for the vessels will be produced in Russia at Vyborg Shipyard.