European Icebreaker Update
A quick look at current icebreaker operations and procurement programs on the Eastern side of the Atlantic.
In this installment of Sixty Degrees North, we’ll review the status of icebreaker acquisition programs in Sweden, Finland, and Germany before taking a look at the recent activity of some European icebreakers.
Baltic Sea Icebreaker Acquisition
Before discussing the current icebreaker procurement plans in Finland and Sweden, I thought I’d provide a little background.
First, icebreaking in the Baltic- especially for Finland- involves close escort of merchant vessels, often involving towing. Because of modern environmental regulations, today’s merchant vessels are larger, have less power, and have hull shapes less suitable for towing and ice operations. This makes escort icebreaking more challenging.
Ice conditions in the Baltic vary, but paradoxically the winters with the lowest ice coverage are often the most challenging, as they often coincide with higher winds that result in larger ice ridges and harsher ice conditions against Finland’s western coast, especially in the northernmost Bay of Bothnia.
Generally speaking, Finnish and Swedish icebreakers can be divided into two categories:
Large icebreakers (A-class) that can perform in all ice conditions, including the harshest conditions encountered in the northernmost Bay of Bothnia during severe winters, and smaller (B-class) icebreakers that are mainly used in the Gulf of Finland and Sea of Bothnia. The main difference in assistance capability between A-class and B-class icebreakers is mainly the width of the channel that the icebreaker breaks. This is an important difference since merchant vessels have varying beams. The wider the channel, the easier it is for the merchant vessel to follow.
Currently, the project partners’ icebreaker fleet consists of only three B-class icebreakers, two of which are reaching the end of their operational life. As these icebreakers are smaller in size, and especially beam and engine power, they are more cost-effective to operate than the large icebreakers. (EU’s Winter Navigation and Motorways of the Sea (WINMOS) III project webpage)
From a more technical standpoint:
[Class] A: Large icebreakers suitable for breaking sea ice in demanding conditions. These have a minimum engine power of 15,000 kW, a width of at least 23.8 m and a draft of at least 8.0 m.
[Class] B: Relatively large icebreakers suitable for breaking sea ice in less demanding conditions. These have a minimum engine power of 10,000 kW, a width of at least 18.0 m and a draft of at least 6.0 m.
[Class] C: In addition, there is a later agreed group of C-class auxiliary breakers.
In 2020, the Finnish Transport and Infrastructure Agency (FTIA) and the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA)1 began joint development of an A-Class icebreaker capable of assisting vessels with a beam of up to 32 meters.
Although Sweden is continuing with procurement of an A-Class icebreaker, the FTIA has instead decided to first proceed with procurement of a B-Class icebreaker to replace the 70-year-old Voima (B-Class) before replacing the 50-year-old Urho class vessels (A-Class).
New Swedish Icebreaker Out for Bids
Sweden operates six icebreakers2, four of which were built in the 1970s. Only one of these, Oden (delivered 1989), is suitable for polar operations. Sjöfartsverket, the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) issued a tender for the construction of two A-Class icebreakers in October of 2022 with an option to build a third. Designed by Aker Arctic of Finland, the new-built icebreakers will run on methanol.
In April of 2024, though, the SMA announced that no ships would be ordered from the initial tender because none of the bids met all of the requirements. In August, the SMA launched a new tender- but only for one vessel. According to a Swedish press report: (machine translation by Bing)
Money is one reason why only one ship is now procured. The funding that the Swedish Maritime Administration has received to build new icebreakers is simply not enough for more people with today's cost situation.
"The amount we have received from the government is based on an average value that was calculated on what icebreakers can cost in 2017. Since then, inflation has gone up, shipyard costs have increased enormously and the price of steel has gone up a lot. In addition, during this period, we have come to the conclusion that we should have methanol, which will also be a cost increase," says Jonas Franzén (from the Swedish Maritime Administration)
The SMA’s goal is to sign a new contract early in 2025, with the vessel delivered in 2027 and fully operational by 2028. Bidding shipyards must have the capacity and knowledge to build the vessel and be located in a nation with which Sweden has a bilateral trade agreement.
Finnish Government Approves Aquisition of B+ class icebreaker
Despite the 2020 joint project (which the Finnish government partly funded), the FTIA decided to first procure a B+ Class icebreaker to replace the 70-year-old Voima. A B+ class icebreaker is a more capable B-class icebreaker that still achieves low-cost levels.
Although a concept design competition was held, the initial contract award was successfully appealed. FTIA held a second round, the results of which are currently under appeal. A decision is expected in the first half of 2025, but further delays are possible.
In the interim, the Finnish Government- specifically the Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy- announced its support for purchasing a new icebreaker, giving the FTIA the go-ahead to apply for European Union funding. According to the government:
The new icebreaker will be designed for the ice conditions of the Bothnian Sea and the Gulf of Finland, but it would also operate in icebreaking in the Bay of Bothnia in early winter. The construction of the new breaker is estimated to begin in early 2026 and be completed in 2028. In the first phase, the icebreaker will be acquired by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
Construction of Finnish Navy’s Second Ice-Capable Multi-Purpose Corvette Begins
From a press release by Rauma Marine Constructions:
On Thursday, 9 October, the Rauma shipyard initiated the building of its second multi-purpose corvette with a traditional steel cutting ceremony. The ceremony marked the start of the construction phase and was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Defence, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command. RMC believes that the company’s capabilities will also attract new orders to the shipyard.
Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) and its subsidiary RMC Defence Oy have been commissioned to build four Pohjanmaa-class multi-purpose corvettes for the Finnish Navy as part of the Squadron 2020 project. The high-performance multi-purpose corvettes have been designed for varying conditions in the Baltic Sea, including icy conditions. RMC has made significant investments and improved its own capabilities throughout the construction of the first multi-purpose corvette. The corvettes are being built in a closed hall constructed specifically for this project as a means of guaranteeing the necessary safety and quality….
The construction of the first of the multi-purpose corvettes has advanced well into the hull phase and is already beginning to take shape. The entire Squadron 2020 project is expected to be completed in 2029. The direct employment impact of the project in Finland is equivalent to more than 3,600 person-years.
For more on the Pohjanmaa-class corvettes, see my article from last year:
German Government Awards Contract for Construction of Polarstern 2
After years of delay, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems was awarded the contract to build the Polarstern 2, a PC2 research icebreaker.
The German Council of Science and Humanities recommended building Polarstern II- to replace Polarstern3- back in 2010. Some design studies had already been done.
IN 2019, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded its contract to build its Polar Security Cutters to VT Halter, using a Polarstern II as a parent design.
And then in early 2020, the German government cancelled the construction tender for Polarstern II.
A call for tenders went back out in 2022, with the contract awarded on December 19th. Expected to cost 1.185 billion euros, delivery is expected in 2030. Here are some details:
Note that Polarstern II appears to be about 20m longer than the PSC design length of 140m.
September 26: Le Commandant Charcot completes record-breaking Transpolar Cruise
Back in August, I wrote about Charcot’s plan to sail through both the Northwest Passage and the Transpolar Sea Route during her summer cruise season.
If you’re not familiar with Le Commandant Charcot, she is a Polar Class 2 icebreaker operated as a luxury cruise ship. Stop and read the below article right now if you don’t know much about this amazing vessel. I’ll wait.
On September 16th, Charcot completed the scheduled Transpolar Sea Route cruise that took her through the North Pole of Inaccessibility, the Magnetic North Pole, and the Geographic North Pole.
The Transpolar Route Cruise is noteworthy, as by my count this is only the twelfth time a ship has taken this route. Charcot was the first commercial vessel to use this route, and the only non-nuclear vessel to do it alone.
If that weren’t enough, on this voyage Charcot became the first ship to reach the North Pole of Inaccesability. For those of you unfamiliar with this particular location, Ponant described it this way:
Le Commandant Charcot became the first ship to reach the legendary Pole of Inaccessibility. This is known as the point in the Arctic whose coordinates are furthest from any land, at 85°48’ N – 176°09’E. This point is 1,465 km from Utqiasuk in Alaska, 1,390 km from Franz Josef Land in Russia and 1,070 km from Ellesmere Island in Canada. By comparison, the geographic North Pole is some 700 km from the nearest land.
Charcot took paying passengers to the most remote location in the Arctic. Alone. That says something about the confidence that France and Ponant have in the capabilities of this extraordinary vessel. And she plans on going back next summer, just in case you’re interested. But it doesn’t come cheap: reservations start at 47k Euro per person, double occupancy.
December 21st: Baltic Icebreaking Season Begins
The season’s first ice restrictions went into effect on December 7th for three Swedish ports and on December 21st for the Finnish ports of Tornio, Kemi, Oulu, Pietarsaari, and Vaasa. Because of prevailing winds, ice conditions are normally more challenging on the Finnish side.
As I write this, there are three Finnish icebreakers underway to provide assistance. Kontio was the first icebreaker to get underway this season, as she departed from Helsinki on December 19th. Otso joined Kontio on December 29th, followed by Sisu on January 4th, and the icebreaking tug Zeus headed to the Kvarken on January 5th.
On the Swedish side, Ale- Sweden’s smallest and oldest icebreaker- began assisting vessels on December 22nd, and the Atle- Sisu’s sister ship- is on standby.
Last year’s icebreaking season ran from November 23, 2023 through May 31, 2024. At the peak, all nine of Finland’s icebreakers were in operation, despite it being only an average season for ice coverage. Here, it is worth quoting the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI):
It should be noticed, that mild ice season could not be easy in perspective of ice navigation, and on the other hand, severe seasons might not be difficult. Average seasons are the hardest for ice navigation. The warm and windy periods between cold periods cause ice drift followed by ice pressure and ridging in the ice fields. Cold and calm periods increase amount of ice, which will with next windy period drift against the close drift ice edges, and brash ice barriers are formed, which makes the ice field difficult to force.
If you are interested in Baltic Sea ice conditions, the FMI webpage linked above is a great place to start.
You can track Finland’s icebreaker operations on X by following Arctia or Aker Arctic. Aker tracks Sweden’s icebreakers as well.
Thoughts and Comments
Le Commandant Charcot’s Transpolar cruise was a BIG DEAL, as it displayed confidence in the reliability and safety of this remarkable icebreaker. There is nothing like her out there today. Those interested in building and operating modern icebreakers have much to learn from her operations and construction. Because she is a cruise ship, however, I fear her capabilities have been dismissed by many.
The Swedish and Finnish icebreaking procurement programs continue to grind along, a bit more slowly than hoped as both are dealing with setbacks. Still, I find it noteworthy that both Finland and Sweden expect to take delivery of their respective icebreakers in 2028, despite neither being under contract today.
Germany’s long-delayed Polarstern II is another story. The cost is rather high (at over 1 billion euros), and delivery is not expected until 2030. Polarstern II is a large vessel that will be fueled by methanol, have a very large battery pack, and a very extensive science suite. These features- along with construction in Germany, a nation that rarely builds icebreakers, are likely contributors to the high cost.
We will check back in on these programs regularly.
I currently have more material than time to write- it looks to be that kind of year. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss any updates. I expect a lot of news in the coming months regarding U.S. Coast Guard icebreaking. I also hope to cover my backlog of subject matter such as a look at the Russian, Canadian, and Chinese fleets of icebreakers and ice-capable vessels, a discussion on the problem of classifying icebreakers (particular the Heavy/Medium/Light categories), and a look (again) at why the U.S. Coast Guard needs more icebreakers- especially modern icebreakers- and needed them yesterday.
Until next time-
All the Best,
PGR
The FTIA is known as Väylä in Finnish, and the SMA is known as Sjöfartsverket in Swedish.
See here for more information on Sweden’s icebreaking fleet. Note that the list does not include the Idun, purchased from Norway in 2024. Oden, delivered in 1989, is Sweden’s most capable icebreaker and has previously supported Operation Deep Freeze. However, following the particularly harsh winter of 2010-2011, the SMA requires Oden to be available in Swedish waters during the Northern Hemisphere winter.
Polarstern II is 20m longer than the PSC as LOA was restricted in design to suit existing facilities in Seattle.
It strikes me that ice breakers are the perfect US construction requirement to be contracted out to trusted allies. Given our limited shipbuilding capacity, and the proven design and construction quality and capability of such stalwart allies as Finland and Sweden, building ice breakers for US requirements would be an ideal trial program, even if final fitting out had to be done in US shipyards. It could lead to more unified naval assets and operations, more efficient procurement and expanded maritime capability and resources. Trump has intimated such was under consideration, in general - not focussed on ice breakers specifically. Makes sense...