Polaris is the world's first icebreaker powered by a dual-fuel power plant capable of using both low-sulphur marine diesel oil (LSMDO) as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG). The 19-megawatt (25,000 shp) icebreaker, the most powerful ever to fly the Finnish flag, is designed for demanding escort icebreaking operations in the Northern Baltic Sea: she can break up to 1.8 m (6 ft) thick level ice at a speed of more than 3.5 knots and maintain high average speed during escort operations. Her propulsion system - two 6.5-megawatt Azipod propulsion units in the stern and a third 6-megawatt unit in the bow - gives the 10,000-ton vessel exceptional maneuverability in ice. While designed primarily as an icebreaker, Polaris is also fitted with a built-in recovery system for spilled oil.
The innovative, efficient and environmentally-friendly Polaris is a perfect example of Finnish icebreaking know-how spanning from design to construction and operation. The development of the revolutionary LNG-powered icebreaker began in early 2013 when the Finnish Transport Agency issued a tender specification for a new icebreaker. In terms of overall performance and operational capability, the vessel would have to be at least equivalent to the most powerful Finnish icebreakers in service at the time: the famous and well-liked 16.2-megawatt (22,000 shp) quad-screw workhorses Urho and Sisu built in the mid-1970s. The concept development was carried out by Aker Arctic and the icebreaking capability new design, Aker ARC 130, was verified in the company's ice model test facility in Helsinki, Finland prior to shipbuilding contract. The construction was awarded to the Finnish shipbuilder Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in February 2014 and the vessel, named Polaris after the North Star, was delivered in September 2016. Today she is part of the state-owned icebreaker fleet operated by Arctia.
You can read more about the ice trials in Arctic Passion News 2/2017:
akerarctic.fi/en/publications...
Polaris has also been featured in many previous issues of our company newsletter.
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Soundtrack: "Epic Battle Trailer" by AShamaluevMusic (www.ashamaluevmusic.com/).