Finland's Arctech Helsinki Shipyard signed a contract to build three icebreaking stand-by vessels for Russia´s largest shipping company, Sovcomflot (SCF Group).
The vessels will be built for the North East Sakhalin Offshore region oil and gas field where they will serve the operator of Sakhalin-2, Sakhalin Energy Investment Co. Ltd. (SEIC).
Designing the icebreaking stand-by vessels will start immediately, Arctech says, and the vessels will be delivered between September 2016 and March 2017.
The series of state-of-the-art ice-breaking vessels for Sovcomflot also includes one larger platform supply vessel, for which Arctech and Sovcomflot signed a contract in April 2014.
The ice-breaking stand-by vessels are designed for stand-by and rescue duties, and for oil spill recovery. They can also be used as supply vessels for cargo transfer, e.g. for low flashpoint fuels. The vessels measure 95m long x 22m broad and are based on Aker Arctic concept Aker ARC 121.
The four diesel generator engines have about 20,000 kW total power and 13,000 kW propulsion power. The design fulfills the demanding requirements set forth by SEIC, and can accomodate a total of 98 persons. Finnish shipbuilders and designers will cooperate to carry out the projects.
“We are extremely satisfied to receive an order of three arctic offshore vessels from Sovcomflot. This remarkable order of one + three vessels brings a lot of work to our shipyard and to the whole maritime cluster. We will also strengthen our organization considerably," says Esko Mustamäki, Managing Director of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.
The vessels will be operating in thick drifting ice, responsible for ice management and icebreaking in temperatures as cold as minus 35 C°. The icebreaking capability of the stand-by vessels is extremely high; the vessels will be able to proceed independently in 1.5m-thick ice. The vessels will be outfitted for emergency evacuation, fire fighting operations, and helicopter operations, and can also act as diving support vessel as they are designed with moon pools.
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Inc. specializes in building icebreakers and other arctic offshore and special vessels. The shipyard is a forerunner in developing and applying technological innovations and has almost 150 years’ experience in shipbuilding. It has built about 60% of the world's icebreakers. As of 2011, the shipyard is a joint venture between STX Finland Oy and Russian United Shipbuilding Corp. (USC). Arctech employs approximately 430 shipbuilders. www.arctech.fi
Aker Arctic Technology Inc. is an independent arctic R&D, ship design, engineering and consulting company. The company has been engaged in research with its own ice model basin for decades and been involved in the development of numerous Arctic and sub-Arctic projects. The company produces advanced and innovative ship designs, such as the double-acting ship concept. www.akerarctic.fi
Photo from Arctech Helsinki Shipyard: Vessels NB 512, NB 513, NB 514.
Related OE coverage:
7 July 2014: Sovcomflot, Sakhalin Energy extend cooperation
22 April 2014: Sakhalin Energy orders new vessel
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