Ask and You Shall Receive: Arctic OSV's To Be Delivered Ahead of Schedule to Russian Owner

An artist’s rendition of the Vital Bearing. Image: Arctech

Arctech said Wednesday that it plans to deliver the harsh-environment offshore supply vessel Vitus Bering four months ahead of schedule at the request of it’s eager Russian owner.

Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, which is a 50/50 joint-venture between STX Finland and United Shipbuilding Corporation, is building two identical icebreaking OSV’s for Russias largest shipping group and one of the world’s leading company’s specializing in ice-management and harsh environment shipping, Sovcomflot (SCF Group). Once delivered the vessels will supply Exxon Neftegas Limited’s platform in the Arkutun-Dagi oil and gas field located in the often frozen Far East Russia. In July, SCF Group asked for the early delivery of the vessels due to the quicker than expected development of the oil field.

Arctech said that the Vitus Bering will now be delivered December 18, ahead of the initial expected delivery of April 2013.

Both vessels measure 99.9 m in length and 21.7 m in breadth and will come equipped with four engines able to produce a total power of 18,000 kW and propulsion power of 13,000 kW. The vessels have been specifically designed to operate in extreme sea ice, capable of independently carrying out operations i ice up to 1.7 thick and temperatures as cold as minus 35 C°. As multipurpose vessels, they are capable of carrying various type of cargo and are equipped for oil spill response, fire fighting, and rescue operations.

“The building of Vitus Bering has proceeded well, and we are now able to finalize it four months in advance. Also the building of the sister vessel is proceeding well in time, and we are planning to launch it by November-December 2012”, tells the Project Manager of the newbuildings, Jonas PackalÃ©n from Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.

“Vitus Bering and her sister vessel are great examples of Finnish shipbuilding. Modern design and long-term shipbuilding experience are combined in these projects. The finalizing of the vessels four months in advance has required excellent cooperation and team spirit. I’m sure that Vitus Bering and her sister vessel are a good start for prospective projects with participation of Russian United Shipbuilding Corporation and Sovcomflot for future work in the Russian Arctic”, comments Esko MustamÃ¤ki, the Managing Director of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.

“The building of these two multifunctional icebreaking offshore vessels is the first order for Arctech, the joint venture owned by United Shipbuilding Corporation and STX Finland. This kind of cooperation between Russia and Finland is totally new, and I am happy to see that these new generation vessels with strong ice class are being built together with Russian and Finnish specialists. The vessels will be registered in Russia, they will work under the Russian flag and the crew will be Russian. Russia has a long experience working with Finnish shipbuilders. I think that collaboration in building these high technology vessels will undoubtedly assist further development of Russian-Finnish shipbuilding cluster”, comments the President of United Shipbuilding Corporation, Andrey Djachkov.