BV To Class Ice-Breaking Tugs
Bureau Veritas has been chosen to class two different series of sophisticated ice-breaking tugs for service in the Caspian Sea. The first series is for three plus two 66m loa ice-breaking and ice management tugs with 50 t bollard pull. The second series is currently out to tender and is for shallow draft ice-breaking AHTS vessels, designed by Netherlands-based Offshore Ship Designers.
The first series will be classed to Ice Class IA Super Special Service – North Caspian Sea Icebreaker with ice breaking capability up to 0.6 m level ice thickness. Designed by Aker Arctic, they will be built in the STX RO Offshore Braila yard in Romania for the Caspian Offshore Construction group project in the North Caspian Kashgan oil field. Gijsbert de Jong, manager, Bureau Veritas. “The design has been tailor made for optimum performance in the shallow waters of the North Caspian Sea, where the vessels will break level ice up to 60 cm thick and can operate year round in ice conditions up to 1 m thick. In addition to towage and pushing barges in open water and in ice conditions, they will be capable of ice management operations in astern working mode, clearing ice rubble.”
The second series – the shallow draft ice-breaking AHTS vessels will be built for Silverburn Shipping. Designed by Netherlands-based Offshore Ship Designers these vessels will be easy to maintain and repair and can work in 70 cm of ice. They have a significant load carrying capability on a shallow draft and provide a minimum 45 t BP. Model tests at Aker Arctic showed the hull form can perform in ice to Finnish/Swedish Ice Class 1A Super standards. Main dimensions are 49.6 m loa, beam 16.5 m, seagoing draft 3.5 m, shallow draft 2.5 m.