Just in time for the Finland’s centenary of independence, world’s first icebreaker powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) Polaris is ready to break the ice.
Polaris, which was designed and constructed in Finland, begins its service at a historical time when Finland celebrates its 100 years as an independent nation in 2017. Finland’s big year can be seen in the prime spot of Polaris: Finland 100-logo is visibly placed at the fore bulkhead of the icebreaker.
The theme for Finland’s centenary year, “Together”, is also an appropriate term for describing the design and building process of Polaris. The brand new icebreaker is a result of the world-famous Finnish know-how in designing, building and operating heavy icebreakers.
“Polaris is a great example of Finland’s unique know-how in designing, building and operating icebreakers,” says Arctia’s Communications Manager Eero Hokkanen. “Finland’s foreign trade and all Finns depend on icebreaking. We wanted that the centenary emblem is visible to assisted vessels and all Finns.”
Polaris represents a new generation of icebreakers. It is the world’s first icebreaker powered by liquefied natural gas. The use of both LNG and low sulphur diesel reduces the vessel’s emissions significantly, making it also the most environmentally friendly diesel-electric icebreaker ever built.
The vessel’s main task is fairway icebreaking on the Baltic Sea, which means assisting merchant vessels to and from Baltic Sea ports in wintertime. In addition, Polaris can perform oil spill response operations, emergency towing and rescue operations on the open sea all year round. The special hull form and propulsion arrangement minimize ice resistance and maximize the icebreaking capacity.
Polaris was built at Helsinki Shipyard by Finland-based Arctech and co-financed by the European Union’s TEN-T programme.
Original article in SuomiFinland100