Ice breaking tugs begin first winter action

Captain’s feedback 

Helios’ master Captain Pekka Arasola talks about using this new tug to escort newbuild cruise ship Costa Toscana in Finland. “All newbuilds use an escort tug when heading out for their first sea trial from Turku shipyard,” he explains. “This is simply good seamanship and a precautionary action when navigating in the demanding waters of the Finnish archipelago.” 

Propulsion on Helios is the same as on Selene and similar to systems on other tugs in the Alfons Håkans fleet. 

However, the owner, shipyard and designer developed a design that had greater crew comfort in mind. “During the design process, a lot of attention was paid to reducing noise and vibrations and improving the insulation on board,” says Capt Arasola. “This has taken the operating comfort to a whole new level.” 

This was down to the accommodation design of these TundRA tugs. “The crew quarters on the main deck represent new ways of thinking,” says the tug master. “They have their own bathrooms and there is a sauna compartment on the lower deck. Such luxury is not common on older tugs.” 

The crew received additional training before going on board.  

“We participated in simulator training at the Maritime Training Centre of Turku and practiced handling unexpected situations,” says Capt Arasola. “The key goal is to create seamless communication between the people in charge, such as the pilot on board the newbuild and the lead captain of the tug fleet.” 

In northern hemisphere winter months, these 2021-built tugs break ice in Finland’s ports, with Selene videoed breaking ice in the port of Kotka on 10 January. 

According to automatic identification system (AIS) data, Helios was operating in the ports of Tallinn and Muuga in Estonia in January 2022. 

Alfons Håkans’s Calypso tug, with the world’s first motorised, detachable ice-breaking bow Saimaa, is again breaking ice in Lake Saimaa, from its base in Mustola harbour in Lappeenranta, according to AIS data. Saimaa bow was designed by ILS Ship Design & Engineering and powered by Danfoss Editron. It has an overall length of 25 m, moulded breadth of 13 m and moulded depth of 3 m. 

In Sweden, the maritime administration’s five icebreakers are in operation after parts of the Gulf of Bothnia were covered in ice earlier than normal. Icebreakers Ale, Oden, Atle, Frej and Ymer have been keeping Norrland’s ports open since early December 2021, says Swedish Maritime Administration head of icebreaking Anders Dahl.  

On 4 December, stricter traffic restrictions were introduced for Swedish ports between the Finnish border and down to Skellefteå, Ångermanälven and between Köping and Västerås. These restrictions, introduced every winter, compel ships built to operate on ice-covered waters to receive icebreaker assistance. 

Polish icebreaking 

In Poland, a series of new ice-breaking workboats started their first season for the authorities in Gdańsk and Szczecin. Morska Stocznia Remontowa Gryfia built four icebreakers with towage capabilities in 2021 – Manat, Puma, Narwal and Nerpa.  

They joined three older icebreakers – Shark (1991-built) Orca (1991) and Seal (1988) – in Q4 2021 to keep the navigation lanes of the Lower Vistula free of ice.  

These vessels are based in Sobieszewo and Przegalin and are mobilised when ice floes flow down the Vistula to prevent ice blockages. 

In November 2021, two new ice-breaking workboats were named in Szczecin, Poland after completion by Remontowa Shipbuilding and delivered to authorities in the port in September 2021. 

These ice-class vessels have wheelhouses that can be raised hydraulically by scissor systems to provide improved visibility for the captain when they are breaking ice in the port. When these vessels approach bridges, the wheelhouses are hydraulically lowered. 

Ocelot and Tarpan replace the oldest vessels in the Szczecin fleet – Świstak and Ogar – built more than 50 years ago. They are working on the Oder, Odra, Odra Graniczna and Regalica rivers, together with six other icebreakers.

The Vessel Optimisation Webinar Week will be held from 25-27 January 2022. Register your interest and access more information here