Cooperation Agreement for Innovative Oil Spill Combat Icebreaker
On 27 May 2010, the Finnish companies STX Finland Oy, Aker Arctic Technology Oy, Southeast Trading Oy (SET Group), and the Russian companies OAO Sovcomflot and FSUE Rosmorport, have signed a cooperation agreement, in Lappeenranta, Finland with the purpose of developing and building a new type of oil spill combat icebreaker for Sovcomflot, the largest Russian shipping company.The new innovative type of vessel is a major breakthrough in the icebreaking technology and for the protection of the Baltic Sea. Furthermore, this will represent a big step forward in strengthening the Finnish-Russian cooperation in the field of shipbuilding.
This multipurpose vessel, having an asymmetrical hull that is based on the icebreaking technology developed by Aker Arctic Technology Oy, will be able to use an innovative sideway movement to collect the oil in demanding ice conditions, as well as to break a broad ice band effectively. The vessel will also be able to solve independently support, escorting and towing tasks also for large tankers in the Baltic Sea. The vessel that is equipped with three rudder propeller devices, and is about 67 m long and about 19 m wide, will also be able to solve a wide range of other towing and rescue tasks.
STX Finland Oy is a shipbuilding company that specialises in building special-purpose icebreaking and ice-class vessels and has a long history of cooperation with the Russian maritime industry. The company’s shipyards have during the last century delivered approximately 2500 ships to Russia / Soviet Union.
“The cooperation agreement now concluded is an important indicator of the powers of the traditional Russian-Finnish cooperation within the maritime industry and is also an important milestone in the Baltic Sea environmental protection, and in strengthening the commercial and industrial ties between our countries,” says Martin Landtman, the President of STX Finland.