Arctech Helsinki to Deliver Sovcomflot Icebreaker Trio

Image: Arctech Helsinki Shipyard

Arctech Helsinki Shipyard announced today receipt of a USD $380 million newbuild contract from Sovcomflot for three icebreaking stand-by vessels.

Sovcomflot’s intentions for this order were announced in July and will involve a joint effort between Arctech and USC’s Vyborg Shipyard, although the majority of the work will likely occur at Arctech.

Once built, the vessels will support operations at Russia’s Sakhalin-2 offshore field under contract to Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (SEIC).

Designing of the icebreaking stand-by vessels will start immediately and the vessels will be delivered between September 2016 and March 2017. The series of the state-of-the-art icebreaking vessels for Sovcomflot includes also one bigger platform supply vessel, which was contracted between Arctech and Sovcomflot in April 2014.

About the vessels:

The icebreaking stand-by vessels are designed for stand-by and rescue duties and for oil spill recovery. They can also be used as supply vessels for cargo transfer e.g. for low flashpoint fuels. The vessels measure 95 m in length and 22 m in breadth and are based on Aker Arctic concept Aker ARC 121. The four diesel generator engines have the total power of about 20 000 kW and the propulsion power of the vessel is 13 000 kW. The design fulfils demanding requirements set forth by SEIC with a total capacity of 98 persons onboard. Projects will be carried out by utilizing a strong Arctic know-how and co-operation by Finnish shipbuilders and designers.

“We are extremely satisfied to receive an order of three arctic offshore vessels from Sovcomflot. This remarkable order of one + three vessels brings a lot of work to our shipyard and to the whole maritime cluster. We will also strengthen our organization considerably”, says Esko Mustamäki, Managing Director of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.

The vessels will be operating in thick drifting ice for ice management and icebreaking in temperatures as cold as minus 35 C°. The icebreaking capability of the stand-by vessels is extremely high; the vessels are able to proceed independently in 1.5 meter thick ice. The vessels will be outfitted for emergency evacuation, fire fighting operations and helicopter operations. The vessels can also act as diving support vessel as they are outfitted with a moon pool.

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