Polaris is the world’s first LNG-powered icebreaker. Photo: Finnish Transport Agency
The world’s first LNG-powered icebreaker entered service Tuesday commencing a contract with the Finnish Transport Agency providing icebreaking, vessel assistance, and oil spill response services in the Baltic Sea.
The Polaris was delivered in September by Finnish shipyard Arctech Helsinki to Arctia Ltd, another Finnish company specializing in marine icebreaking, offshore, and oil recovery. Polaris is the first icebreaker ever built that is capable of running on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and ultra-low-sulphur diesel, making it the most environmentally friendly diesel-electric icebreaker anywhere in the world. With a total output of about 22 MW, it is also Finland’s most powerful icebreaker to date.
The vessel was designed under the supervision of the Finnish Transport Agency to be used for icebreaking and vessel assistance in ice conditions, oil spill response operations, and emergency towing and rescue operations in the Baltic Sea for a period of 50 years.
Photo: Finnish Transport Agency
“Polaris represents a new generation of icebreakers,” says Tero Vauraste, President and CEO of Arctia Ltd., the owner and operator of IB Polaris. “Arctia supports the proposed ban on the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic. The use of LNG and the vessel’s built-in oil recovery system are the future of cost effective multipurpose icebreakers. We are proud to be the owner of the world’s most environmentally friendly icebreaker, which will safeguard our customers’ winter transport needs in the Baltic Sea.”
Polaris is the eighth icebreaker in Arctia’s current fleet and the first Finnish icebreaker to be commissioned since 1998.
The icebreaker was co-financed by the TEN-T Programme of the European Commission.
By Ellen Francis (Reuters) – Interpol has issued red notices for the captain and owner of the ship that carried the chemicals which devastated Beirut in an explosion in August, killing 200...
By Chen Aizhu (Reuters) – China has issued 5 million tonnes of clean marine fuel export quotas in the first release for 2021, to five companies including a private refiner,...
By Andrea Shalal (Reuters) – The United States is urging European allies and private companies to halt work that could help build the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline and...
December 23, 2020
Total Views: 858
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
Just enter your email and get hot news every morning
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.