Aker Arctic Ten Years

Arctic Passion News No 9 March 2015 Aker Arctic ten years Aker Arctic celebrates ten companies began investing in Russia - in Sakhalin in particular - and subsequently years as an independent became interested in our services, so we company this year. From an survived. During this time the azimuthing initial twelve persons, we are electric thruster was developed, which lead to the revolutionary Azipod® product today a world-renowned and Double-Acting Ship concept company in arctic technology (DAS™) we invented and developed for with close to fifty employees ice navigation. The big change for us came when Aker took Kvaerner over and and a turnover of 10 million the new management decided to euros. However, our history separate the research centre from the begins nearly five decades local shipbuilding entities. In 2004 I was 2005 Aker Arctic Technology Inc given the task of managing the change We began independent operations in earlier. and building a new research facility, but January 2005. first I needed to find enough partners Our roots are in shipbuilding, which It is 1969 and the 106 000 DWT tanker willing to invest money in it. In addition makes it easy for us to communicate SS Manhattan tries to prove that the to Aker Yards, and after many with shipyards and support them in Northwest Passage is a viable discussions with potential partners, the construction. One growing focus area is commercial route for shipping oil from joint owners became Aker-Kvaerner Oil offshore projects and fixed structures for the Arctic. Humble Oil has modified her & Gas, Wärtsilä and ABB." the Arctic." for the task with the assistance of Finnish Shipbuilding Company Wärtsilä, which is experienced in building A day of celebration Competence transfer icebreakers. The SS Manhattan gains "Aker Arctic Technology Inc started A few years ago, some of our most valuable experience during the voyage operations in January 2005 with 12 experienced employees started to reach through the Northwest Passage and this persons and from there we began to the age of retirement and therefore a full-scale experiment with the (at that build our identity as an independent competence transfer program was set in time) largest U.S. flag vessel operated global ice partner," Mr Niini continues. place to transfer know-how and skills to by Esso (Exxon) marks a significant the new generation of ice experts. milestone in arctic transports. "At the end of 2005, Aker decided to focus on vessels other than icebreakers "The competence transfer and the Along this development Esso (Exxon) and we were able to pick eight key ship education programs we have for training initiates the idea of an ice model basin, designers from Helsinki Shipyard to join current and new employees have been where the performance of the SS us. Two months later, our new facility in successful. Our workforce is steadily Manhattan and possible future vessels is Vuosaari Marine Business Park was growing, with young, bright engineers to be tested. Wärtsilä decides to follow ready and we could move in. On the with a passion for ice swelling our ranks, through and the first ice model-testing inauguration day Mr Göran Wilkman, one and soon we will reach a new milestone basin in Finland, Wärtsilä Icebreaking of our founding employees, was in the of 50 permanent employees," adds Mr Model Basin (WIMB), is ready in 1969. Arctic for full-scale tests of Norilskiy Arto Uuskallio, Sales and Marketing Nickel's first vessel. Through a live call Manager. Ten years later, Wärtsilä decides to he told us that the vessel had clearly "Looking back at the past ten years, our expand its ice research facilities and surpassed all design targets – it was a company has grown and developed Wärtsilä Arctic Research Centre (WARC) day of double celebration." through our different customer projects. It is inaugurated in 1983. This bigger and is a step-by-step learning curve where better facility also serves universities for Entire ship design projects the outcome from one project helps us in research purposes and the solid "In the beginning, our business was the next. As a service company, we will foundation of our cutting edge ice model testing and consulting work but continue to develop in ways which will knowledge is established. Unfortunately step-by-step we have expanded our best support our customers in their future Wärtsilä Marine goes bankrupt at the services in order to manage complete projects," Mr Suojanen emphasises. end of the 1980s and as a result a new projects. In addition we provide training shipbuilding company, Masa-Yards is for ice operations, which by recent 2013 Ownership changes founded. It takes over also the testing development of the ice simulator now The Finnish Government owned facility and ice research continues under can be carried out with advanced tools. investment company, Finnish Industry a new name, Masa-Yards Arctic We have built up an organisation that Investment Ltd, acquired a majority stake Research Centre (MARC), which later can carry out entire ship design projects of the shares (66,4%) of Aker Arctic from becomes part of the Norwegian Kvaerner in partnership with our customers," says STX Finland in order to keep arctic group. Mr Reko-Antti Suojanen, Managing marine know-how in Finland. Other Director of Aker Arctic. current minority owners are ABB Oy Uncertain times “Typical for arctic projects is that they Finland and Aker Engineering and Mr Mikko Niini, previous Managing extend over a long period of time. From Technology AS from Norway with 16,8% Director of Aker Arctic remembers how the initial preparations to design, of shares each. the future of the ice research laboratory construction and verification, the 2014 Turnover reaches 10 Million euros was uncertain many times during those timeframe can be up to ten, even twenty From twelve persons and a turnover of years. years. We have become used to this 3,6 million euros, we are today a world- "The 1990s were difficult times, the timeframe throughout our long history renowned company in arctic technology Soviet Union collapsed and our joint and have to date many successful with close to fifty employees and a projects stopped. Luckily, western oil complete design projects behind us. turnover of 10 million euros. 4 Novatek OAO Sovcomflot 2005 Prirazlomnoye 2010 Yamal LNG project 2011 Multimodel testing Our first basic design project, which was Development work for the Yamal LNG Multimodel testing began at our model an entire ship design project. It gave us exports had already begun in the 1990s testing facility. Several vessels can be the confidence to use the wide range of and continued until 2006. In 2010 the tested at the same time, which is our know-how to serve our customers. Yamal LNG project moved ahead and we especially important in testing and As we had been part of a shipbuilding have been involved in the planning and visualising ice management operations. company, we wanted to stay hands-on in design development of LNG-carriers, shipbuilding and to receive feedback Sabetta harbour as well as designing the also directly from the shipyards. port icebreakers to ensure efficient all- year operations. CCG 2012 Canadian polar icebreaker We became a member of the design team 2006 Vuosaari facilities ready for the new polar icebreaker for the Our new office building and model Canadian Coast Guard with respon- testing facility in Vuosaari Marine 2010 Ice simulator sibilities for all ice related technologies. Business Park was ready and Aker Arctic Aker Arctic's ice simulator was personnel moved in. introduced and has been continuously improved since. The simulation tool can be used both for planning vessels and operations and for training the crew. 2012 Chinese polar research icebreaker Conceptual and basic design began for the highly advanced polar research vessel 2006 Norilskiy Nickel for China. arctic container vessels Breakthrough vessels with the new, revolutionary Double-Acting Ship 2010 Turret mooring system (DAS™) technology we developed. Turret mooring system introduced at the Today this technology is more or less the model testing facility. The amount and standard in arctic vessels. These were the characteristics of the mooring lines among the first ships to operate year- can be changed according to round in the Arctic and proved that it is specifications. possible. 2013 Finnish LNG-fuelled icebreaker The world's first LNG-fuelled icebreaker was ordered by the Finnish Transport Agency. We created the concept design and are also actively involved in the construction together with the owner and the shipyard. 2011 Oblique icebreaker 2007 Varandey arctic shuttle tankers The first unit of the unique Aker Arctic The pioneering trio of arctic tankers developed oblique icebreaker concept designed specifically for the project, built was ordered by the Russian Government. by Samsung and owned by Sovcomflot Initial development work for this concept began to transport crude oil in the was underway already in the 1990s, an Russian Arctic region without icebreaker example of how the time-span for arctic assistance for the first time in the world. projects can be decades long. 2009 Caspian Sea shallow draught 2014 Arctic module carrier icebreaker tugs Development of two PC3 class module Five shallow draught icebreaking tugs for carriers, which can operate year-round in independent year-round operations in delivering construction modules from the North Caspian Sea. A basic design Europe and Asia to the LNG-plant in project where we also supported the Sabetta. Design work was carried out in shipyard until all vessels were ready and close cooperation with ZPMC-Red Box delivered. Energy Services. We are currently supporting the two vessels' construction work in China..

Load more