The oldest vessel in Arctia’s icebreaker fleet, the Voima has seen service for more than half a century. The sturdy-hulled Voima has demonstrated its reliability on the Baltic Sea over the decades and has served as a model for many four-thruster icebreakers built after it.

Commissioned in 1954, the Voima was the first of the new icebreakers to emerge from Finland’s post-war rebuilding programme. At the time of its launch, the vessel was a special case, even from an international perspective. For the first time in the world, an icebreaker had been fitted with fore propellers with opposite rotation.

The Voima was designed for use in the open sea, with a wide beam that allowed 10,000 dwt cargo ships and 16,000 dwt tankers to travel in the channel it had broken. The Voima’s great engine power and excellent manoeuvrability (the vessel is able to turn completely around in place and is capable of sideways movement) aroused considerable interest outside Finland. For the builder of this speciality of its time, the Hietalahti shipyard, the vessel was a showcase of design and craftsmanship. Wärtsilä proceeded to build three sister ships for the Voima that were delivered to the Soviet Union (Kapitan Belousov in 1954, Kapitan Voronin in 1955 and Kapitan Melehov in 1956), and one that was delivered to Sweden (Oden in 1957).

The Voima was renovated in 1978–79. The machinery of the ship was replaced and the interior was refurbished to meet modern standards. All deck structures were entirely rebuilt, resulting in a vessel that bore some resemblance to the Urho and Sisu. The sides of the vessel were strengthened with new plates to provide protection against pressure from ice, and the ship was fitted with a completely new main engine, new electric devices, new quarters for the crew, and a new bridge. The ship’s thruster engines were also modernised.

Arctia continues a 130-year-old icebreaking tradition

Arctia continues a 130-year-old icebreaking tradition by deploying one of the strongest icebreaker fleets in the world. The fleet includes five traditional icebreakers: the Voima, Urho, Sisu, Otso and Kontio.

Arctia’s icebreakers are able to maintain their ice-breaking capability under all ice conditions in the Baltic Sea. The ships are equipped with towing forks and winches.