Overview

Work Package 2 aims at maintaining the icebreaker capacity in the Baltic Sea area through an acquisition of a new state-owned A-class Swedish icebreaker. This will strengthen icebreaking capacity while replacing an old and less effective icebreaker.

The icebreaker is designed to meet the requirements of vessels registered under the Swedish flag. It has accommodation, public and service spaces, and lifesaving appliances for up to 54 persons. The primary tasks of the new icebreaker are assistance icebreaking, convoy operations, towing (both long and short), and ice management. In addition, the vessel can be used for local icebreaking, supporting search-and-rescue operations including helicopters, fairway management including buoy handling, etc. The vessel will be able to break more than a 32-meter-wide channel through the ice and will be well adapted for the fossil-free fuels of the future.

The new icebreaker will be beneficial for all stakeholders that are involved in maritime transport in the Northern Baltic. While the icebreaker’s primary operational area is the Baltic Sea, it is designed for unlimited worldwide operation. It can operate in -35 °C to +35 °C ambient air temperatures and -2 to +25 °C sea water temperatures. The overall operational endurance of the icebreaker is 28 days.

Task 2.1 – Shipyard procurement

Many activities related to the procurement of the shipyard for construction of the icebreaker have been completed before the start of the project. This task includes the remaining activities with regards to the last stages of the procurement. It includes finalisation of the procurement documentation, including those related to the technical specifications of the vessel design, control of shipyards economic status as well as negotiations and selection of a winning shipyard. The contract with the winning shipyard is expected to be signed in 2024.

Task 2.2 Building of new icebreaker

The task encompasses the final design and construction of the new icebreaker and all associated work, installations, and equipment. The new icebreaker will be the world’s most environmentally sustainable icebreaker and will include features such as:
– Innovative icebreaking design with built-in emission reductions.
– Energy optimization, it will consume 45% less energy than the current Swedish icebreakers.
– Energy storage (battery hybrid).
– Energy recycling.
– Different fuel combinations will be possible for retrofit, as the final design is optimized for diesel/HYO in combination with Methanol/Bio-Methanol/e-Methanol with possibility to further reduce the environmental footprint by approx. 90% of fossil-free fuel will be used.