Icebreaking Services News

Finnish companies have designed about 80 percent of the world’s icebreakers, and about 60 percent of them have been built by Finnish shipyards.Finland is home to a strong and vibrant maritime cluster, with a mix of large, medium and small shipyards, as well as a deep pool of marine engineering expertise and a broad network of vessel equipment suppliers.As one of the world’s northernmost countries, Finland is also home to a fleet of icebreakers that keep imports and exports flowing through its harbors, even during the coldest winter months.

Tallinna Sadam subsidiary TS Shipping has signed an agreement securing summer work for its multifunctional icebreaker Botnica with Equinor in the U.K.The 40-day charter agreement, which includes a 10-day extension option, will start from June 5 and will see Botnica provide auxiliary vessel services towards Equinor’s operational offshore wind farms in the U.K., including transport and accommodation of the maintenance team as well as providing motion-compensated walk-to-work gangway and crane operations.Under a 10-year agreement with the Estonian Transport Administration, Botnica provides icebreaking services in Estonian coastal waters from December 20 to April 20.

A Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) icebreaker is helping to keep shipping moving on the Great Lakes throughout the winter with a set of Thordon Bearings’ propeller shaft bearings that were fitted more than 30 years ago.Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Griffon, the oldest vessel of the CCG’s Type 1100 series, was retrofitted with a set of four Thordon XL polymer stave bearings in 1990, 20 years into her service life. Sister ships received Thordon bearings from new throughout the 1980s.

The Canadian Coast Guard's (CCG) annual icebreaking season on the Great Lakes, which provides assistance to the shipping industry, is underway. Working in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) District 9, the CCG has two icebreakers assigned to the Great Lakes for the entire winter season: CCGS Griffon and CCGS Samuel Risley. These vessels are supported as required by additional CCG vessels after the St. Lawrence Seaway reopens in March 2022.Although the St. Lawrence Seaway, Welland Canal and Sault Ste.

Russia is considering banning foreign vessels from shipping Russian energy cargoes via the Northern Sea Route, as well as from icebreaking and coastal navigation, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday citing a draft government resolution.The step, proposed by the Industry and Trade Ministry, would restrict vessels built outside Russia on the Northern Sea Route that Moscow wants to become a major shipping lane as the Arctic warms at a faster rate than the rest of the world.The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Kommersant reported that the ministry on Nov.

The Government of Canada announced East Coast shipbuilder Chantier Davie has pre-qualified to become the third strategic partner under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), a long-term, multibillion-dollar program to renew the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy fleets.Back in May, Canada’s Government announced its intention to add a third Canadian shipyard as a partner under the NSS, and on August 2, it launched the competitive process to select the new yard to build six program icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard.According to the Government of Canada…

The Government of Canada is officially launching a competitive process, through an Invitation to Qualify, to add a third Canadian shipyard as a strategic partner under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). This new shipyard will build the new program icebreakers for the Coast Guard.The Coast Guard provides critical icebreaking services to ensure commercial ships and ferries have access to Canadian ports during the winter time, and supports summer re-supply activities in Canada’s Arctic.

World’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) icebreaker Polaris refueled for the first time at the Nordic countries’ largest LNG terminal in Tornio in the icy Röyttä Harbour.As of yet, LNG is the world’s most environmentally friendly ship fuel. It does not contain sulphur, and its combustion generates approximately 87% less nitrogen oxides in comparison to regularly used Marine Diesel Oil (MDO). Furthermore, LNG’s particulate matter emissions are nearly non-existent.From the outset, Polaris was designed as an icebreaker that combines efficiency with environmental friendliness.“This is the third winter in the demanding, icy conditions of the northern Baltic Sea for the world’s first LNG-powered icebreaker.

The icebreaking services provider Arctia’s icebreaker Kontio departed the icebreaker base in Helsinki as the Finnish icebreaking season’s second icebreaker on Saturday 29 December 2018.The vessel headed towards its initial operation area near Oulu and Raahe, where it will begin assisting vessels. Icebreaker Otso, that departed on 25 December, already assists vessels in the Bothnian Bay.“There is already ice coverage in the northernmost part of the Bothnian Bay as well as near Oulu. So far the ice situation has been easy, but as temperatures keep dropping further below zero, more ice will form fast. Some forecasts predict a winter colder than average.

Congress last funded the purchase of polar icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard in the early 1970s. The USCCG Polar Star (WAGB-10) was commissioned in 1976, followed by the USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) in 1977. Polar Sea has been out of service since 2010 due to a major engine failure. Polar Star was ‘in commission, special’ status from 2008 through 2012 while undergoing a service life extension. It is currently the only active heavy polar icebreaker in the U.S. fleet. The less capable USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) is a medium icebreaker and is equipped to support research missions in polar waters.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered icebreaker Polaris has left its home base in Helsinki on Tuesday to become the third Finnish icebreaker active in this year’s icebreaking season. The nearly 110-meter-long Polaris is the world’s first LNG powered icebreaker, running on both LNG and marine diesel. The vessel will head to Tahkoluoto, Pori, to bunker LNG before joining fellow icebreakers Kontio and Otso which departed on December 18, 2017 and January 9 respectively. “The crew is very excited to begin icebreaking duty after a long summer and autumn,” said Pasi Järvelin, master of IB Polaris.

A recent seminar held March 7 and 8 in Porvoo, Finland, saw Finnish companies Arctia and Lamor Corporation present the results of the IMOR (Ice Management & Oil Recovery) project, which seeks to enhance oil recovery in ice conditions. The oil recovery seminar, arranged by icebreaking services provider Arctia in collaboration with oil spill response specialist Lamor, was opened by the company’s respective CEOs, Tero Vauraste and Fred Larsen. In his speech, Vauraste stated that oil recovery is a key part of Arctia’s range of services.

Canada's Coast Guard mulls its options as it awaits the arrival of replacement icebreakers to its aging fleet. In order to maintain open tracks through ice, escort ships, free ice-beset vessels, break up ice in harbors, resupply isolated northern communities and protect them from flooding, the Canadian Coast Guard operates a fleet of 14 vitally important icebreakers, many of which are nearing the end of their operating lives. Some, built as far back as the 1960s and 1970s, have already exceeded their intended years of service.

U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreaking crews kick off operation Coal Shovel Friday in the waters of the southern Great Lakes. Operation Coal Shovel encompasses domestic icebreaking operations in southern Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair / Detroit River system, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway. U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers, work together to break ice in these waterways as conditions worsen throughout the winter. The Coast Guard conducts domestic icebreaking operations for the purposes of search-and-rescue…

At the July 23, 2014, hearing of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on “Implementing U.S. Policy in the Arctic” the committee chairman, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), opened the proceedings by holding up a graphic of the icebreaker fleets of the world—which depicts nearly 40 Russian icebreakers—and then commented on the “dismal state” of the U.S. icebreaker situation. The hearing background paper noted that the United States presently has only two working polar class icebreakers…

Government of Canada Awards Babcock Canada Inc. a $6.5 Million Contract for Refit Work on the CCGS Louis S. Parliamentary Secretary Bernard Trottier, on behalf of the Honorable Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, and the Honorable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honorable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced that the Government of Canada has awarded a $6.5 million contract to Babcock Canada Inc. for critical refit work for Canadian Coast Guard ship CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent.

The Canadian Government informs it has awarded a $6.5 million contract to Babcock Canada Inc. for critical refit work for Canadian Coast Guard ship 'CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent'. The shipyard portion of the work will be carried out by Chantier Davie Canada Inc., a sub-contractor to Babcock Canada. The CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent is Canada’s largest and heaviest icebreaker. While in drydock at the Davie Shipyard in Levis, Quebec, the vessel will undergo critical maintenance. This work…

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation has announced that it has delayed its annual opening of the Montreal-Lake Ontario section until March 31, 2014. The Management Corporation informs that the Canadian Coast Guard is already undertaking icebreaking to support the movement of commercial vessels and has a plan in place, in consultation with the Corporation, to support this timeline. However, in this severe ice year, it must be recognized that the ice conditions, and not the amount of icebreaker support available…

Port of Tallinn signs the purchasing agreement for icebreaker 'MSV Botnica'. The 50 million euro agreement is with the Finnish shipping company Arctia for the outright purchase of the icebreaking vessel. MSV Botnica is a multipurpose icebreaker built in 1998 by Aker Finnyards in Rauma, Finland. Her ice class is ICE-10, length (LOA) is 97.3 and beam 24.3 metres. The maximum speed of MSV Botnica is 16.5 knots in open water; she can maintain a speed of 8 knots in ice up to 80cm thickness. The maximum ice thickness in which the ship is capable of maintaining constant speed is 1.2 meters.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) is helping clients execute voyages through the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as this new trade lane begins to open up new opportunities for shipping. WSS is working with Russian Arctic shipping specialist Rosatomflot for ice-breaking assistance and has developed a programme to assists clients with technical, legal and insurance preparations they must satisfy to make the journey safely. The NSR is currently open between 1 July and 1 November but holds out the long-term prospect of a faster route between Northern Europe and North Asia/Alaska, cutting the journey time on an Europe-Asia voyage from 34 days to 22 days.

After one of the five coldest Decembers in recorded history, The Great Lakes Towing Company is finishing up one of its busiest seasons in recent history of icebreaking on the Great Lakes. While the U.S. Coast Guard's role in assisting ships through the ice of the Great Lakes is relatively well-known, few people outside the marine industry realize that U.S. Coast Guard assistance is provided mainly in the federally-maintained navigation channels, and that commercial tugboats with icebreaking capability, and their dedicated crews, assist as many, if not more, ships in harbors throughout the lakes each winter season. During the 2000-2001 winter to date, the tugboats of The Great Lakes Towing Company, an affiliate of The Great Lakes Group, have performed 290 vessels icebreaking assists.