Aarc News

Model testing ship-ice interactions in the St. In a cavernous room in the heart of a research center in St. John’s, Newfoundland at 8 am, the air temperature is -20 C while the water temperature is hovering at zero. National Research Council of Canada (NRC) staff are preparing the Ice Tank to test the integrity of a newly designed ship’s hull and propulsion system by subjecting a model to a battery of maneuvers and encounters with ice. One of the largest in the world, the Ice Tank is 90m long, 12m wide, and 3m deep.

The STX Turku Shipyard in Finland recently lost the order for a third Oasis class cruise ship and an option for a fourth to ”sister” shipyard STX France, when neither the owner, the financially troubled STX Group, nor the Finnish government wanted to inject a missing $64.3m to the capital of the shipyard. The yard is currently building two 97,000gt cruise ships for TUI Cruises. In January the shipyard delivered the world’s first LNG-fuelled big size passenger-car ferry, the Viking Grace for Baltic ferry operator Viking Line.

When a captain of an ice-going vessel stands on the bridge looking at the enchanting world around him he wants to hear the comforting sound of ice smoothly being crushed by the heavily loaded propeller he is controlling. But the question is if the industry is ready – can our captain really enjoy his trip in ice covered waters – or is there still work to be done? Ops in the Arctic regions are intensifying as a result of more transportation through the northern route and due to increasing offshore, research and recreational activities.

STX Canada Marine Awarded Contract to Design the Canadian Coast Guard’s New Polar Icebreaker. STX Canada Marine is pleased to announce that they have been awarded the contract to design the new polar icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced today the award on behalf of the Government of Canada. The work will be carried out at STX Canada Marine’s Vancouver office and be completed by the end of 2013. The polar icebreaker will be named after former Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker (CCGS John G. Diefenbaker).

STX Finland Oy and United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) have formed a joint venture company, which will specialize in arctic shipbuilding technology. An agreement for the formation of the new company, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Oy, was signed today in in a meeting with the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the Finnish Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi. According to the agreement both founding companies will hold equal shares of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Oy. The new company will purchase the shipyard from STX Finland. The joint venture will focus on arctic maritime technology and shipbuilding and will unify Russian and Finnish Maritime clusters. It will start building highly specialized vessels such as icebreakers and other icebreaking special vessels.

Aker Yards Marine Inc. (AYM) is a member of the team assembled by BMT Fleet Technology Limited that has been awarded the Definition, Engineering, Logistics and Management Support (DELMS) contract for the Canadian Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) project. The Canadian navy will acquire between six and eight ice-capable patrol ships to assert and enforce sovereignty in Canada's waters, including the Arctic. During the definition phase (2008 - 2009) AYM will utilize its experience and expertise in the design of patrol vessels and icebreakers to support the BMT team in the development of an illustrative definition design for the AOPS.