Finland and Sweden are working jointly to support the
development of a new generation of icebreakers. The goal of the project is to
select the design of a new vessel that will meet the challenges of the shipping
industry while also responding to environmental concerns. The design project,
which is valued at between $3.5 and $4.5 million, is being awarded to Aker
Arctic Technology and will be completed by the end of 2021.
Icebreaking is essential to ensuring the transport of goods
to northern Sweden and Finland during the wintertime. According to
representatives of the two countries, cargo ships need aid and a clear path to
be able to pick up and collect goods from their critical industries.
Currently, there are five active icebreakers in Sweden and
nine in Finland. The fleet, however, is aging. New icebreakers will be needed
to keep the trade ongoing.
"The Swedish industry is dependent on icebreaking in
the Baltic Sea up to 130 days a year. Our current fleet is old with increasing
needs for repairs. Therefore, we very much look forward to the design of the
next generation of icebreakers to service larger ships in a fossil-free
environment," said Katarina Norén, Director-General of the Swedish
Maritime Administration.
The design process will start with research and evaluation
of alternative icebreaker concepts, with the emphasis on finding solutions to
maintain the service level while also responding to the new environmental
initiatives. Among the challenges, the design will need to address is the fact
that the size of merchant vessels entering Finnish and Swedish ports is
growing. These larger vessels generally have less ability to handle ice-covered
waters, making it difficult for them to pass through ice masses and the
challenging ice conditions in the Baltic.
In developing the parameters for the project, the
authorities in Finland and Sweden determined that the new icebreaker will
require the ability to assist ships with a beam of up to 105 feet.
Cost-effective operation, low lifecycle costs, the ability to transition to a
fossil-free fuel by 2030, and reducing CO2 emissions are also important goals for
the design.
"Our foreign trade and competitiveness are based on
year-round security of supply. The stocks of import and export logistics are
largely located on moving ships. An adequate level of assistance available from
icebreakers is a prerequisite for ensuring that the raw materials and different
products are in the right place at the right time. New types of solutions are
expected from this design project to respond to changes in the operating
environment as well as to maintain an adequate level of service also in the
future," said Kari Wihlman, Director-General of the Finnish Transport
Infrastructure Agency.
Representatives from Finland and Sweden spent six months
designing the project and during the first phase of the two-stage tendering
process reviewed the pre-qualifications of companies. Three tenders were
received during the first phase and one tender during the second stage.
“This new ship will represent a completely new generation of
icebreakers. It will incorporate design, construction, and operational
experience from existing Baltic assistance icebreakers as well as our other
icebreaker designs. With an operational lifetime spanning half a century, the
new icebreaker must be designed to comply with future emission goals,” said
Reko-Antti Suojanen, Managing Director of Aker Arctic. “Responding to this
major technological challenge today will require us to apply the full extent of
our icebreaker design expertise as well as to utilize the latest environmental
technologies developed by the maritime industry."
The project calls for the selection of a design by March
2021, after the first cost estimate for the construction of the icebreaker is
available. Then they expect to refine the design details and construction
specifications to provide the basis for the shipyard tendering process.