Arctech has started construction of an icebreaking multipurpose supply vessel for Russian shipping company Sovcomflot at its shipyard in Helsinki, Finland, with the customary laying of keel.
The vessel is the first of four such multipurpose ice-breakers ordered by Sovcomflot. It had its first block, weighing 221t, placed in the building dock.
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An updated version of Sovcomflot’s existing vessels Vitus Bering and Aleksey Chirikov, the icebreaker has six diesel generator engines, with a total power of 20,000kW and propulsion of 13,000kW.
Vitus Bering and Aleksey Chirikov are multifunctional icebreaking supply vessels delivered by Arctech in 2012 and 2013.
After its completion in June 2016, the new vessel will operate in the Sakhalin-2 region energy production sites, in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia.
The 100m-long and 21m-wide vessel will ferry production materials and personnel from the port to production sites of Sakhalin Energy Investment (SEIC), breaking ice as thick as 1.5m.
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By GlobalDataA safe passage of deck cargo, loose cargo and liquid cargo is ensured by the vessel in its integrated tanks below deck. It ferries the production crew with a capacity to accommodate 28 crew members and 42 specialised staff members.
In addition, the vessel can be deployed for emergency evacuation, rescue, firefighting and helicopter operations, oil spill response and platform support activities.
Installed with Nordic environmental technology, such as catalytic converter exhaust system, the icebreaker will reduce underwater noise levels.
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard’s managing director Esko Mustamäki said: "Arctech has successfully built many similar kind of vessels for use in the rough weather conditions of the Sakhalin area. The series of vessels currently being built and designed at Arctech will further secure the energy production in the area."
The shipyard received the €100m ($108.5m) contract to build the multipurpose ship in April 2014. It was followed by another $380m contract in August that year to build three more vessels.
Image: An artist’s impression of the new multipurpose icebreaker. Photo: courtesy of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Inc.
