BALTIC ESCORT ICEBREAKER

Aker Arctic has developed a tender design for the next-generation Baltic escort icebreaker for the Swedish Maritime Administration and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. The new icebreaker will be capable of assisting larger merchant ships, incorporates the latest environmental technologies, and is ready for future fossil-free fuels.

Aker Arctic developed multiple concept alternatives with different propulsion configurations during the first phase of the project. The overall efficiency of each variant was evaluated with extensive life cycle cost (LCC) and life cycle assessment (LCA) calculations. In addition, three concept alternatives underwent model tests in both open water and ice to verify their icebreaking capability and ability to escort merchant ships in close-coupled towing. In the end, the concept alternative incorporating three azimuthing propulsion units – one in the bow and two in the stern – was selected for further development. The propulsion design is similar to the 2016-built Finnish icebreaker Polaris, also an Aker Arctic design.

The final Aker ARC 130 S design has been developed in close cooperation with the Swedish Maritime Administration and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and optimized later for Sweden’s icebreaking needs. It combines decades of operational experience from Swedish and Finnish icebreakers with Aker Arctic’s latest design experience and methods. The Swedish icebreakers will be the first methanol-ready and potentially the first methanol-fuelled icebreakers in the world.

The decision to construct at least two new icebreakers for Sweden was made in December 2022. The first vessel is planned to be delivered in 2026 and the second about a year later.