“
The vessel has been equipped with a combination of classic qualities.
2 x 6 500 kW at the stern and 1 x 6 000 kW in the bow.
” This type of propulsion arrangement is rather unique in ships,” Mustamäki expects.
” Icebreakers have been equipped with bow-mounted propellers even in the past, but those could not be rotated to any horizontal angle as in the case of Polaris.”
LNG FUEL FOR BETTER ECOLOGY
The new icebreaker has a length of 110 metres and a width of 24.4 metres. The ship is the ninth icebreaker in the fleet of the state-owned Arctia Oy.
” Overall, it has taken more than 500 man-years to build the ship,” says Mustamäki.
The ship is the world’ s first icebreaker to utilise LNG fuel( liquefied natural gas). Both of the ship’ s LNG tanks have a capacity of 400 cubic metres. Marine diesel oil can be used as an auxiliary fuel.
Polaris has been equipped with a diesel-electric power plant and propulsion system. The main engines are the 2 x 6 000 kW, 2 x 4 500 kW and 1 x 1 280 kW Dual Fuel engines manufactured by Wärtsilä.
” The Finnish Transporst Agency can fill up the ship’ s tanks with LNG fuel at various ports by utilising a fuel truck,” Mustamäki mentions.
For the first sea trials, the ship was fuelled up at Port of Vuosaari in Helsinki.
Polaris conforms to the IMO’ s forthcoming international Tier III emission requirements, as well as the special Baltic Sea regional requirements for limiting sulphur emissions.
Further old icebreakers in the Arctia’ s fleet are to be replaced by newer ones by the year 2029. The total cost for the fleet renewal has been estimated to be close to 1 billion euros. n
Both of the ship’ s LNG tanks have a capacity of 400 cubic metres.
30 seatec 1 / 2017