Marine Industry

Aker Arctic’s freezable test basin in Vuosaari has been in heavy use.

Aker Arctic plays with high stakes at high latitudes

The technology company Aker Arctic is a notable international player in northern shipping. In addition to and ice-going vessels that are working in Finland, the company also holds an important position in international markets. For example, design for Sweden and many Arctic transport projects in the Northeast Passage are currently ongoing.

he port icebreaker Ob, which conditions during the winter. Accord- ile icebreaker. Ob is a one of a kind ves- was delivered in October ing to our knowledge, Ob has managed sel that has been specifically designed 2019, is a prime example extremely well in the Arctic winter con- for the task at hand. Only one of these of Finnish icebreaking ex- ditions in which it has been operating vessels has been ordered. Although we pertise. The vessel was built since entering service,” says Suojanen. do, of course, hope that more will be Tat USC’s Vyborg for use by a Ob is a Polar Class 7 icebreaker meas- built,” says Suojanen. Russian client, Rosatomflot. Ob ensures uring 89.2 metres long, 21.9 metres wide Concept and basic design work be- year-round transport for energy compa- and 6.5 metres deep. It has four 3 MW gan back in 2015, and thorough test ny Novatek’s LNG terminal in . diesel-electric propulsion units, two in drives were carried out using a min- According to Aker Arctic’s CEO, Re- the fore and two in the aft. Ob has a top iature model of Ob in Aker Arctic’s ice ko-Antti Suojanen, Ob is based on the speed of 16 knots and is able to break tank in Vuosaari, Helsinki. According company’s earlier icebreaker designs, ice of 1.5 metres in thickness at a speed to Reko-Antti Suojanen, this almost but its technical solutions have been of two knots. The vessel is significantly five-year period is quite normal for de- improved to meet Sabetta’s extremely smaller than the icebreaker Aleksandr veloping new vessel concepts. difficult ice conditions. Sannikov, which was also designed by “The majority of this time will be “The vessel has been designed to Aker Arctic and delivered in 2018. spent on building the ship itself, but operate in ports and shallow waters “Thanks to its unique propulsion sys- the design phase also takes between that experience extremely difficult ice tem, Ob is an effective and extremely ag- one and two years.”

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N_40-41.indd 40 21.12.2020 9.10 It’s all go in the , namely Daewoo’s (DSME, Dae- “This is a very significant agreement for Northeast Passage woo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineer- us. We’ve already put five years of work into Aker Arctic and Reko-Antti Suojanen firm- ing) shipyard in Okpo, South Korea. this project with the client,” says Suojanen. ly believe that the Northeast Passage and Although the Russians have handled the Aker Arctic’s EUR 27 million share of its Arctic transport projects will also spawn design of their new Arktika-class nuclear the contract is for the design, manufacture, new ships and vessel concepts for Finnish icebreaker themselves, Suojanen thinks delivery and installation supervision of a designers. that demand for nuclear-powered vessels complete propulsion system. The design of “The energy company Novatek and its may rise as a result of increased traffic in the stainless-steel adjustable blade propel- partners are building a new LNG produc- the Northeast Passage. lers and axles has paid particular attention tion facility on the Yamal peninsula. De- “The IMO is tightening its environmen- to low propeller noise output and the ves- mand for transport is increasing, and new tal requirements all the time, and we expect sel’s speed and ability to move through ice. icebreakers and ice-breaking LNG carriers this will also lead to nuclear-powered cargo Other new projects include the world’s will be required,” says Suojanen. ships in northern waters,” he forecasts. first motorised detachable ice-breaking bow, Aker Arctic has been involved in design- Aker Arctic was initially involved in the whose propellers were designed and sup- ing Russia’s next generation of large and early design of the USA’s new polar ice- plied by Aker. The prototype was launched LNG-powered polar icebreakers. LNG has breaker, but no longer. The US Coast Guard at the Turku Repair Yard in Naantali in late been chosen to fuel the icebreakers for two recently decided to order the first of its new summer 2019. reasons: advancements in both tanking batch of icebreakers from the VT Halter Like other Finnish ship designers, Reko- technology and fuel distribution. shipyard in Mississippi, and VT Halter will Antti Suojanen has high expectations con- “Unlike with diesel oil, gas production also handle icebreaker design. cerning design contracts for Finland and and local distribution work in the north. The USA’s polar cutter is the superpow- Sweden’s new icebreakers. There is sufficient LNG available along the er’s first new icebreaker in 25 years. “It’s always beneficial to cooperate, as Northeast Passage.” we share the same sea. Both countries will Suojanen says that polar icebreakers Plenty of ongoing definitely save money by building a series must have extremely large, 8,000–10,000 projects in the of ships, but as a design company we first cubic-metre LNG tanks to enable them to Aker Arctic has signed a contract for the de- need to wait for a call for tenders,” he says. operate for a month at sea. Although this velopment of new icebreakers for demand- Suojanen considers global warming to of course depends on their voyages and the ing Baltic Sea escort operations. “New ship be an undeniable fact whose impacts on weather conditions. will represent a completely new generation maritime transport are extremely difficult of icebreakers. It will incorporate design, to manage. We’ve just had a record-breaking Even nuclear-powered construction and operational experience warm winter without much need for ice- vessels could materialise from existing Baltic assistance icebreak- breakers, but more difficult winters may Aker Arctic has already headed up the de- ers as well as our other icebreaker designs. lie ahead. Stringent environmental targets velopment of 15 ice-strengthened LNG As the operational requirements and envi- and variable conditions are posing special tankers for the Northeast Passage and par- ronmental conditions are changing in the challenges in the design of new icebreakers. ticipated in their design. These first-gener- Bothnian Bay, we will work closely with the “As designers, our goal has always been ation Arctic LNG vessels were built in Asian Finnish and Swedish operators to jointly to build ships that run on minimal energy. develop a solution that best answers to the In this sense, a vessel’s icebreaking capac- future icebreaking needs. With an opera- ity adds to our design challenges, but we tional lifetime spanning half a century, the should also keep in mind that many ships new icebreaker must be designed to com- spend most of their time sailing in open ply with future emission goals. Responding waters,” he says. to this major technological challenge today Suojanen says that Aker Arctic’s freezable will require us to apply the full extent of test basin in Vuosaari has been in heavy use, our icebreaker design expertise as well as to as miniature models of new ice-breaking utilize the latest environmental technolo- vessels are being developed and tested at gies developed by the maritime industry", a fast pace. says Suojanen. “We conduct the bulk of these tests for The new icebreaker is required to be able ourselves, but we also provide a service to to assist ships with 32 m beam. Cost-ef- external customers, such as shipyards and fective operation, low life-cycle costs, the shipping companies.” transition to fossil-free fuel by 2030 and “We’re able to offer an extremely com- the reduction of CO2 emissions are also prehensive service for shipbuilding projects, important goals. all the way from icebreaker concept devel- Back home in Finland, Aker Arctic Tech- opment and testing to design, equipment Aker Arctic’s CEO, Reko-Antti Suojanen firmly nology Oy is designing and delivering full delivery and commissioning. We’re at the believe that the Northeast Passage and propulsion systems, complete with pro- top of the world in this field. No one else its Arctic transport projects will bring work for Finnish designers. pellers and axles, for the Navy’s four new can provide these kinds of services for ice- Pohjanmaa-class multipurpose corvettes. breaking vessels.” ✖

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