MSV Fennica icebreaker

MSV Fennica icebreaker current position

MSV Fennica icebreaker current location is at Baltic Sea (coordinates 63.47068 N / 20.61700 E) cruising en route to ICEBREAKING CH10. The AIS position was reported 1 minute ago.

Current Position

Specifications of MSV Fennica icebreaker

Year of build1993  /  Age: 31
Flag state Finland
BuilderAker Finnyards (Rauma, Finland)
ClassFinnish diesel icebreaker
Building costEUR 200 million (USD 235 million)
Engines (power)Wartsila (21 MW / 28161 hp)
Propulsion power18.5 MW / 24809 hp
Speed16 kn / 30 km/h / 18 mph
Length (LOA)116 m / 381 ft
Beam (width)26 m / 85 ft
Gross Tonnage9392 gt
Passengers48
Crew26
Decks4
Sister-shipsMSV Nordica
OwnerArctia Oy
OperatorArctia Offshore Oy

MSV Fennica icebreaker Review

Review of MSV Fennica icebreaker

MS Fennica is a Finnish icebreaking vessel owned and operated by Arctia Ltd (a Finnish state-owned company). "MSV" stands for "multipurpose supply vessel". One of Finland's icebreaker ships, Fennica is a platform supply vessel and the first-ever Finnish ice-breaker. It was specifically designed for escorting marine vessels in Baltic Sea during winter and for assisting offshore construction projects through the rest of the year.

The vessel (IMO number 9043615) is currently Finland-flagged (MMSI 230245000) and registered in Helsinki.

With the same design is MSV Nordica and similarly-designed is MSV Botnica.

The list of other Finnish icebreakers also includes (in brackets - year built): Polaris (2016), Kontio (1987), Otso (1986), Sampo (1960), Urho (1975), Sisu (1976).

MSV Fennica icebreaker ship (Arctia Finland)

Det Norske Veritas classified the ship as "1A1 POLAR-10 Icebreaker Tug Supply Vessel". Ice class POLAR-10 signifies a hull strengthened for unassisted operations in the polar regions (the Arctic Ocean and Antarctica). According to specifications, the ship's ice-breaking capacity is up to 1 m (3 ft) in conditions including glacial ice floes.

As an icebreaker, the ship can perform repeated ramming of ice ridges. On July 3, 2015, the ship was en route to the Chukchi Sea to support drilling operations of Shell Oil Company. However, after discovering a hull hole (99 cm long, 5 cm wide), Fennica returned to Dutch Harbor (Amaknak Island, Alaska) and in the following week entered dry-dock in Portland OR for repairs.

Fennica vessel details and technology

For better maneuverability, the ship's hull at the bow is wider in comparison to its stern section. The hull also features an explosion-welded ice belt (made of stainless steel) for reducing friction and protecting the steel plates from abrasion.

MSV Fennica icebreaker ship (Arctia Finland)

To assist offshore constructions, the ship is equipped with a Hydralift heavy-lift crane. The crane's capacity is up to 30 tons (with max radius 11 m / 36 ft) or 15 tons (max radius 20 m / 66 ft). The ship additionally has a MacGregor crane with lifting capacity 5 tons (max radius 14 m / 46 ft) or 1,5 tons (max radius 30 m / 98 ft).

Before the 2012 refit, Fennica also had a helicopter hangar (now replaced with a helipad). The ship's equipment also includes a 120-ton A-frame structure (for ploughs and trenching machines), Aquamaster-Rauma anchor, hydraulic towing winch and a stern notch (for towing smaller vessels through ice fields).

MSV Fennica icebreaker ship (Arctia Finland)

In late November 2014, Finland's "Cabinet Committee on Economic Policy" released an official statement regarding the country's aging icebreaking fleet. According to the statement, Arctia Shipping's old fleet will be fully replaced with new icebreakers by the year 2029. The project's overall cost is approx EURO 1 billion. The new vessels (like Polaris) must be multipurpose icebreakers (including for Arctic oil explorations).

  • The vessel has 1 Dining Room, Sauna Room, no swimming pool, no elevator, 1 helipad (Helideck).
  • Max Draught: 8,5 m (28 ft)
  • DWT Deadweight tonnage: 1650-4800 tons
  • Displacement tonnage: 12800 tons
  • Bollard pull (emergency towing capacity) 234 tons
  • Power: 2x Wartsila 16V32D diesel engines (each 6 MW power output), 2x Wartsila 12V32D diesel engines (each 4,5 MW output)
  • Propulsion: Diesel-electric, 2x Aquamaster azimuth thrusters (ABB Stromberg motors, each 7,5 MW output, with ducted fixed-pitch propellers); 3x Brunvoll bow thrusters (each 1,15 MW output, with variable-pitch propellers).

Note: In the case of poor AIS coverage, tracking the vessel's current location will be impossible. You can see CruiseMapper's list of all icebreakers and ice-breaking research ships in the "itinerary" section of our Icebreakers hub. All states and their fleets are listed there.

MSV Fennica icebreaker - user reviews and comments

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MSV Fennica ship's builder is Rauma Shipyard Finland.

The shipowner Arctia Oy is a state-owned company operating Finland's icebreaker fleet. The company was established in 2010 as "Arctia Shipping Oy" and was renamed in 2016 to "Arctia Oy". Arctia Ltd serves Liikennevirasto ("Finnish Transport Agency" / abbrev FTA) during winter months. This is a Finnish government agency (annual budget EUR 1,6 billion) that maintenance all the Finland's roads, railways, and waterways.

Arctia Ltd also charters the icebreaking vessels to private companies developing offshore gas-oil fields and wind farms.

 

Arctia Ltd has 4 subsidiaries:

  • Arctia Icebreaking (managing the conventional / older icebreakers Voima, Sisu, Urho)
  • Arctia Offshore (managing the multipurpose icebreakers Nordica, Fennica, Otso, and the newest - the LNG-powered Polaris)
  • Arctia Karhu (managing the port icebreaking/harboring and towing service in the Gulf of Bothnia with the vessel Ahto)
  • Arctia Management Services (manages the oil-recovery icebreaker Kontio)
  • If necessary, all Arctia icebreakers can be equipped with oil spillage equipment.

The company's icebreaker base is at Katajanokka (Helsinki, Finland).