Built by Arctech Helsinki for the Russian Ministry of Transport, the Icebreaking Multipurpose Emergency and Rescue Vessel Baltika is a first-of-its-kind icebreaker built with an asymmetrical hull allowing for not only ahead and astern icebreaking, but also “oblique” (or sideways) icebreaking to create a channel up 50 meters wide.
The first full scale icebreaking tests took place from March to April 2015 in the Kara Sea and Gulf of Ob. The trials involved performance tests in three distinct ice thicknesses during stern and ahead speed tests (40 cm, 94 cm, and 122 cm), followed by the oblique icebreaking tests in 40 cm thick ice.
The oblique test (beginning at 4:10 in the video) was the first time the icebreaking concept had been tested in real life, and the vessel met or exceeded all of its design requirements.
Some highlights from the ice trials:
Baltika (IMO number 9649237) was built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard (Helsinki, Finland) in co-operation with Shipyard Yantar JSC (Kaliningrad, Russia) based on Aker Arctic’s design , Aker ARC 100. The vessel is 76.4 meters long and has a beam of 20.5 meters and features a diesel-electric power plant consisting of three Wärtsilä 9L26 generating sets with a combined output of 9 MW.
Baltika is propelled by three 2.5 MW Steerprop azimuth thrusters, two in the stern and one in the bow of the vessel. The dynamic positioning system, which also includes the oblique icebreaking mode, has been developed by Navis Engineering. The vessel is classified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and its ice class is Icebreaker 6, capable of breaking 1-2 meters thick.
Baltika is owned by the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport of Russia (Rosmorrechflot) and operated by the Russian Marine Emergency Rescue Service (FGI Gosmorspassluzhba).
The vessel is also fitted with a built-in oil recovery system.
Updated: February 11, 2016 (Originally published February 9, 2016)
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
Iran and Oman have begun formal talks on the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including maritime services and associated costs, adding new urgency to questions raised...
The Strait of Hormuz is open again, but shipping companies are returning to a waterway that looks very different from the one that existed before the war. Commercial traffic is...
Oil and liquefied natural gas tankers sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, in a sign of traffic slowly picking up after Iran said it had again closed the waterway over the weekend, shipping data showed.
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
