Good News from Thu, 11 February, 2010:

World’s best icebreaking

Icebreakers assist trading ships on the Baltic Sea by opening up shipping channels, towing and releasing vessels, as well as ensuring safety for winter marine traffic.
Finnish harbours and shipping channels leading into them freeze over every year, but icebreakers enable regular and reliable marine traffic throughout the year. Unusually mild winters have opened up new tasks and markets for icebreakers.

Modern icebreaking on the Finnish coast started already in 1890. Specialised shipping company Arctia Icebreaking Oy continues the tradition with one of the world’s strongest icebreaker fleets.

In addition to Finland, ship class icebreakers are needed in Swedish, Russian and Canadian waters every year. The Baltic States, other countries in the Baltic Sea region, the United States and Japan need icebreakers occasionally. Icebreaking is needed also when accessing polar regions for research purposes and utilisation of natural resources.

— Finland can be considered the cradle of top technology in the field for our shipyard expertise. In addition to our own icebreakers we have designed and built icebreakers for most of the countries in need for icebreaking, says the Head of Business at Arctia Icebreaking Oy, Atso Uusiaho.

Ice conditions determine workload

Depending on the ice conditions, the average number of operation days for icebreakers is between 500 and 1100. Uusiaho estimates that this winter, when compared to long term averages, is somewhere between mild and normal, depending on the sea ice extent.

— On the other hand, we are having the coldest winter in the 21st century. The widest ice cover will be achieved between the end of February and mid-March, when the final severity of the winter will be confirmed.

Uusiaho estimates however that icebreakers are busier this winter than during previous winters. The recent decline in marine traffic caused by the economic recession has a contrary effect on the icebreaking business.

Towards new markets

The milder winters have enabled access to the natural resources of the previously unreachable arctic regions. New markets in aid, protection and mother ship tasks have opened up brand new markets for icebreakers.

Arctia Icebreaking offers also offshore services for multipurpose icebreakers, ferry traffic, marine construction and oil-spill prevention services.

— Because icebreakers have been developed to serve more purposes than before, they can be used for instance as support vessels of underwater construction or as marine aid for maintenance work on oil and gas fields, tells Uusiaho.

— In the summer the icebreakers are turned off for two to three months, but thanks to their open-water qualities the multipurpose icebreakers can continue working throughout the year.

 
www.arctia.fi

Watch a slide show of icebreakers at work: www.info-finlande.fr/briseglaceUK/home.html

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Comments (1)

Saleh Ahmed Wed 16 March 2011 at 22:04
Yes congratulations.