Icebreaking
ContactRegular and safe marine traffic
Arctia’s icebreaking expertise is based on modern specialised vessels and expert crews with years of experience in winter navigation.
Our goal is to provide even better icebreaking services that minimise delays in deliveries and guarantee safety in the most demanding circumstances. We perform our icebreaking services ecologically, safely, efficiently and economically.
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Icebreaking services secure the year-round operation of the Finnish society
For over 140 years, winter navigation services have secured Finland’s marine export as well as the import required by the domestic markets. Arctia and its interest groups safeguard the society’s operability and develop winter navigation to meet its future needs. Our objective is to ensure as smooth operation as possible for all vessel traffic. Methodical management of entities and prioritization of assistance are the best ways to ensure functional winter navigation.
In icebreaking and winter navigation operations, the needs of individual vessels are taken into account as part of the whole. Our objective is to ensure as smooth operation as possible for all vessel traffic. Methodical management of entities and prioritization of assistance are the best ways to ensure functional winter navigation. Jointly with the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, Arctia collects feedback on the performance of its operations on an annual basis.
Each icebreaking assistance task is different
Icebreaking services are provided free of charge to merchant vessels that are compliant with the regulations and capacity requirements and are en route to Finnish ports. Shipping companies pay fairway dues to the Finnish State for their vessels arriving to Finland’s ports. The fairway dues depend on vessel size and the annual number of visits. Fairway due proceeds are used for funding icebreaking services, for example.
The animation below describes the icebreaking process on a general level. Each assistance task is different, and decisions on the execution of tasks are made on a case-by-case basis.
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Icebreakers
Arctia’s vessels include the conventional icebreakers Voima, Urho and Sisu, Otso and Kontio, multipurpose icebreakers Fennica and Nordica, harbour icebreaker Ahto, as well as Polaris. Icebreaker Polaris is the world’s first icebreaker to use an LNG engine.
