” This type of propulsion arrangement is rather unique in ships,” the CEO for Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Oy, Mr. Esko Mustamäki expects. The Azipod thrusters were manufactured by ABB.
The 110-metre Polaris vessel, prepared at the Helsinki shipyard in Hietalahti, is rather different from her predecessors. New and progressive technologies developed in Finland have been applied to her design and shipbuilding processes.
The ship was baptised on 11 December, 2015, in the tradional way with a champagne bottle. The name Polaris refers not only to the Polar Star but also to the ship’ s polar classification that empowers her to even break thick ice with old ice inclusions.
In the assessment of the shipbuilder Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Oy, Polaris is the most environmentally-friendly icebreaker in the world. The ship has been specifi-
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Polaris is rather different from her predecessors.
cally designed for demanding ice-breaking operations in the Baltic Sea. Polaris has 16 members of running crew and 8 other beds.
Polaris is capable of constant seafaring without stopping amidst regular ice of a thickness of 1.6 metres. The vessel can break ice to clear a waterway of a width of 25 metres at a speed of six knots amidst ice of a thickness of 1.2 metres.
The icebreaker can operate independently even in temperatures of – 30 ° C. In Baltic Sea waters, the vessel can reach an average escort speed of 9 to 11 knots. In open water, the vessel has a travelling speed of 17 knots. seatec 1 / 2017 27