Arctech Helsinki Shipyard
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Arctech Helsinki Shipyard was a Finnish
shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...
company that focused primarily on
icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
s and other icegoing vessels for arctic conditions. Between 2011 and 2019, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard built a total of 10 icebreaking vessels (yard numbers 506 through 515) at the
Hietalahti shipyard Hietalahti shipyard (also known as Helsinki New Shipyard, fi, Helsingin uusi telakka) is a shipyard in Hietalahti, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. Since 2019, it has been operated by a company named Helsinki Shipyard. History The shipyard, fi ...
in
Helsinki, Finland Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city' ...
. Due to the
economic sanctions Economic sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they may ...
against its Russian owner, the company was forced to transfer its shipbuilding business in Finland to a successor company,
Helsinki Shipyard Helsinki Shipyard Oy is a Finnish shipbuilding company based at Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki, Finland. The company was established in 2019 to continue the shipbuilding activities of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in Finland. History Helsinki S ...
, which was then sold to a private Russian owner.


History

Arctech Helsinki Shipyard was established as a joint venture between
STX Finland STX Finland Oy, formerly Aker Yards Oy, was a Finnish shipbuilding company operating three shipyards in Finland, in Turku, Helsinki and Rauma, employing some 2,500 people. It was part of STX Europe, a group of international shipbuilding compan ...
, a subsidiary of
STX Europe STX Europe AS, formerly Aker Yards ASA, was until 2012 a subsidiary of the South Korean STX Offshore & Shipbuilding. With headquarters in Oslo, Norway, STX Europe operated 15 shipyards in Brazil, Finland, France, Norway, Romania and Vietnam. T ...
, and the Russian state-owned
United Shipbuilding Corporation , romanized_name = , former_name = , type = State owned enterprise , traded_as = , industry = Shipbuilding, Defense industry , genre = , fate = , predecessor = , successor = , founded = , founder = , defunct ...
(USC). The new shipbuilding company started its operations at the
Hietalahti shipyard Hietalahti shipyard (also known as Helsinki New Shipyard, fi, Helsingin uusi telakka) is a shipyard in Hietalahti, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. Since 2019, it has been operated by a company named Helsinki Shipyard. History The shipyard, fi ...
on 1 April 2011. On 28 October 2013, it was reported that USC was going to buy the remaining shares from STX Europe and become the sole owner of the company. The sale was finalized on 30 December 2014 and the United Shipbuilding Corporation has been the sole owner of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard since the beginning of 2015. The Russian ownership has resulted in some issues due to the
economic sanctions Economic sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they may ...
imposed by the European Union and the United States as a response to the Russian involvement in the unrest in Ukraine. In August 2014, the Nordic-based bank
Nordea Nordea Bank Abp, commonly referred to as Nordea, is a European financial services group operating in northern Europe and based in Helsinki, Finland. The name is a blend of the words "Nordic" and "idea". The bank is the result of the successive m ...
announced that it would terminate Arctech's accounts due to the financial sanctions imposed by the United States, forcing the shipyard to switch to another bank. In early 2018, it was reported that the United Shipbuilding Corporation was looking for a new majority owner for Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in order to circumvent the sanctions. The Finnish shipyard, which had not received any new orders since 2016, had become an economic burden for the Russian owner with cumulative loss of 156 million euro in 2011–2015 after which the company stopped reporting its economic situation. Initially, it was reported that the Croatian investment corporation KERMAS Group would purchase a 55 percent share of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard with the USC remaining as a minority shareholder. However, in September 2018 the president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, Aleksey Rakhmanov, stated that the company was instead negotiating the sale of the whole shipyard with three parties: a group of Norwegian companies, an unnamed Russian businessman, and the KERMAS Group which had previously declined partial ownership. In October 2018, it was announced that the shipyard would be sold to the owners of
Nevsky Shipyard Nevsky (masculine), Nevskaya (feminine), or Nevskoye (neuter) may refer to: People * Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263), Russian historical icon and patron saint of Saint Petersburg *Alex Nevsky (musician) (born 1986), French-Canadian singer *Nikolai A ...
and, in addition to cash, the sale would include transferring the privately owned
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
-based shipyard to the state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation. While the initial deal fell through at the very last moment reportedly due to lack of approval from the Russian authorities, the sale was finally authorized by the Russian government in April 2019. On 15 May 2019, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard officially announced the change of ownership of the shipbuilding activities in Finland by the end of the month. In preparation of the transaction, a new shipbuilding company Helsinki Shipyard Oy would be established to take over the assets and operations at Hietalahti Shipyard. It would then be sold to Algador Holdings, a private Russian company owned by Rishat Bagautdinov ja
Vladimir Kasyanenko Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukr ...
while Arctech, which would remain as a subsidiary of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, would continue shipbuilding operations in Russia as a shareholder of the Nevsky Shipyard.
Victor Olerskiy The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
, the former deputy Russian transport minister and the former head of Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transportation, has been appointed as the chairman of the board of the new company. The transaction, which included 35 million euro and the ownership of Nevsky Shipyard, was finalized on 20 May.


Orders

On 16 December 2010, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard received its first order when a contract for two icebreaking
platform supply vessel A platform supply vessel (PSV) is a ship specially designed to supply offshore oil and gas platforms. These ships range from in length and accomplish a variety of tasks. The primary function for most of these vessels is logistic support and tr ...
s similar to the ''
SCF Sakhalin ''SCF Sakhalin'' (russian: СКФ Сахалин) is a Russian icebreaking platform supply and standby vessel owned by SCF Sakhalin Vessels Limited, a subsidiary of Sovcomflot. The ship was built by Aker Finnyards Helsinki shipyard in Finland ...
'', worth US$100 million per ship, was signed with
Sovcomflot Sovcomflot (russian: ПАО «Совкомфлот», ПАО «Современный коммерческий флот», , Modern Commercial Fleet). Sovcomflot is Russia's largest shipping company, and one of the global leaders in the maritime ...
. The vessels, ''Vitus Bering'' and ''Aleksey Chirikov'', were delivered in December 2012 and April 2013, respectively. On 8 December 2011, it was announced that Arctech Helsinki Shipyard had signed a contract together with Shipyard Yantar JSC from Yantar,
Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
, for the construction of a 76 million euro icebreaking multipurpose emergency and rescue vessel for the
Russian Ministry of Transport The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation (russian: Министерство транспорта Российской Федерации) is a ministry of the Government of Russia responsible for transportation. The Ministry of Transpo ...
. The so-called "
oblique icebreaker An oblique icebreaker is a special type of icebreaker designed to operate not only ahead and astern, but also obliquely (sideways) with a large angle of attack. In this way, a relatively small icebreaker is capable of opening a wide channel in ic ...
" would feature an asymmetric hull designed to break a channel in level ice when operating sideways. Initially, the hull was to be built at Yantar and then towed to Helsinki for outfitting, but in the end the hull was assembled in Helsinki from blocks manufactured in Kaliningrad. The vessel was launched on 12 December 2013 and given the name ''Baltika''. After sea trials, the icebreaker was towed to Kaliningrad where she was to be handed over to the owner.Arctech Helsinki Shipyard to build an Innovative Multipurpose Emergency and Rescue Vessel for Russian Ministry of Transport
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, 8 December 2011.
However, ''Baltika'' was later towed to
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
where she was delivered to Rosmorrechflot on 30 December 2014. On 19 December 2012, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard received an order from the Russian Ministry of Transport for an 18-megawatt icebreaker capable of breaking ice up to thick. The newbuilding, a Project 21900M icebreaker worth about 100 million euro, would be built in co-operation with the
Vyborg Shipyard Vyborg Shipyard PJSC (russian: ПАО «Выборгский судостроительный завод») is a shipbuilding company located in Vyborg, Russia. The company has a focus on icebreakers and other icegoing vessels for arctic conditions ...
which was building two similar ships in Russia. The new icebreaker, ''Murmansk'', was launched in March 2015. While the vessel was to be delivered to the owner in August of the same year, the delivery was delayed until December. On 18 December, ''Murmansk'' was towed to Vyborg Shipyard where it would be delivered to the owner before the year's end. The icebreaker was handed over to Rosmorport after a flag-raising ceremony on 25 December 2015.На Выборгском судзаводе подписан акт приема-передачи ледокола «Мурманск» (фото)
PortNews, 25 December 2015.
On 27 November 2013, the
Finnish Transport Agency The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency ( fi, Väylävirasto, sv, Trafikledsverket), shortened to FTIA, is a Finnish government agency responsible for the maintenance of Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Rep ...
announced that Arctech Helsinki Shipyard had won the tender for the next Finnish state-owned icebreaker and that the final order for the 123 million euro vessel would be signed before the end of the year. However, on 29 November the Finnish Transport Agency cancelled the contract, citing issues with guaranties offered by the shipyard. On 22 January 2014, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard won the second round of the tendering process and the final contract was signed on 14 February. The 19-megawatt vessel, the most powerful icebreaker ever to fly the Finnish flag, would be powered by dual-fuel engines running on
liquefied natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volu ...
(LNG) and designed to break ice in a continuous motion. The vessel, based on
Aker Arctic Aker Arctic Technology Oy (often shortened to Aker Arctic) is a Finnish engineering company that operates an ice model test basin in Helsinki. In addition to ship model testing, the company offers various design, engineering and consulting serv ...
's ''Aker ARC 130'' concept, was initially scheduled for delivery during the winter of 2016. On 11 December 2015, the new icebreaker was named ''Polaris''. She was floated out from the covered dry dock and into the outfitting quay on 3 January 2016 and delivered on 28 September.The world´s first LNG-powered icebreaker Polaris delivered
. Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, 28 September 2016.
On 21 April 2014, Sovcomflot ordered an icebreaking platform supply vessel from Arctech Helsinki Shipyard. The 100 million euro vessel, which was initially scheduled to be delivered in June 2016, would be a further development of the two similar vessels delivered in 2012 and 2013. While the propulsion power and icebreaking capability would remain the same, the number of main engines was increased from four to six and the vessel would be been fitted with a
moon pool A moon pool is a feature of marine drilling platforms, drillships and diving support vessels, some marine research and underwater exploration or research vessels, and underwater habitats, in which it is also known as a wet porch. It is an open ...
. The vessel would be chartered to Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC).Arctech to Build an Icebreaking Supply Vessel for Sovcomflot
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, 21 April 2014.
Steel production began at Vyborg Shipyard, which would produce the hull blocks for the vessel, on 26 November 2014.Arctech Helsinki Shipyard started production of the New Icebreaking Multipurpose Supply Vessel
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, 26 November 2014.
The keel of the vessel, ''Gennadiy Nevelskoy'', was laid on 17 December 2015. On 30 June, the vessel was floated out in order to make space for laying the keel of the next vessel. The vessel was delivered on 3 March 2017, slightly behind schedule.Sovcomflot to take delivery of 4 supply vessels from Arctech Helsinki Shipyard this year (photo)
PortNews, 10 February 2017.
New navigator to explore the subarctic waters: The Icebreaking Supply Vessel Gennadiy Nevelskoy delivered at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, 3 March 2017.
On 7 July 2014, the Finnish newspaper
Turun Sanomat ''Turun Sanomat'' is the leading regional newspaper of the region of Southwest Finland. It is published in the region's capital, Turku and the third most widely read morning newspaper in Finland after '' Helsingin Sanomat'' and ''Aamulehti''. Hi ...
reported that Arctech Helsinki Shipyard had been awarded the construction of three icebreaking standby vessels for Sovcomflot.Helsingin telakka on saanut kolmen jäänmurtajan tilauksen
Turun Sanomat, 11 July 2014.
The shipyard confirmed the US$380 million order for three ships, initially scheduled for delivery between September 2016 and March 2017, in its own press release on 11 August 2014. Like the platform supply vessel ordered in April, the standby vessels would be chartered to Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC) and used in the
Sakhalin-2 The Sakhalin-2 (russian: Сахалин-2) project is an oil and gas development in Sakhalin Island, Russia. It includes development of the Piltun-Astokhskoye oil field and the Lunskoye natural gas field offshore Sakhalin Island in the Okhots ...
field for stand-by, rescue and oil spill response duties. The vessels ''
Stepan Makarov Stepan Osipovich Makarov (russian: Степа́н О́сипович Мака́ров, uk, Макаров Степан Осипович; – ) was a Russian vice-admiral, commander in the Imperial Russian Navy, oceanographer, member of the R ...
'', '' Fedor Ushakov'', and ''
Yevgeny Primakov Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov (29 October 1929 – 26 June 2015) was a Russian politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1998 to 1999. During his long career, he also served as Foreign Minister, Speaker of the Supreme ...
'' (initially ''Mikhail Lazarev'') would have accommodation for 98 persons on board and be capable of operating independently in ice.Arctech receives an order of Three Icebreaking Stand-by vessels from Sovcomflot
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, 11 August 2014.
The keel of the first standby vessel was laid on 4 February 2016 alongside the previously ordered platform supply vessel. Some of the blocks were assembled in
Klaipėda Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuan ...
,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. The first vessel, ''Stepan Makarov'', was floated out in November 2016 and delivered on 15 June 2017.Arctech Helsinki Shipyard delivered a new icebreaking standby vessel
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, 16 June 2017.
She was followed by ''Fedor Ushakov'' on 27 October 2017. The third vessel, ''Yevgeny Primakov'', was scheduled to be delivered before the year's end but didn't leave the shipyard until January 2018. In early 2016, it was reported that the Greek shipowner Dynacom has ordered a condensate carrier from Arctech Helsinki Shipyard at an undisclosed price. The Arc7 ice class tanker would be used to carry
gas condensate Natural-gas condensate, also called natural gas liquids, is a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that are present as gaseous components in the raw natural gas produced from many natural gas fields. Some gas species within the raw natur ...
from the
natural gas fields A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
in the
Yamal Peninsula The Yamal Peninsula (russian: полуостров Ямал, poluostrov Yamal) is located in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of northwest Siberia, Russia. It extends roughly 700 km (435 mi) and is bordered principally by the Kara ...
. While the shipyard was initially reluctant to confirm the contract, the tanker was included in a presentation by Arctech CEO Esko Mustamäki at the Conference on the Economic Development of the Arctic in June 2016. According to the presentation material, the
double acting tanker A double acting ship is a type of icebreaking ship designed to run ahead in open water and thin ice, but turn around and proceed astern (backwards) in heavy ice conditions. In this way, the ship can operate independently in severe ice conditions ...
would be long and capable of breaking ice.Sea Transportation Solutions for Arctic Logistic Needs
(). Esko Mustamäki, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.
NB 515
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.
The forward part of the vessel was built at Brodotrogir shipyard in
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
. The keel-laying ceremony, which marks the start of hull assembly, was held in Helsinki on 27 July. The bow section of the vessel, named ''Yuriy Kuchiev'', was launched on 16 July 2018 and arrived in Helsinki in August. With a beam of , the tanker is the widest vessel ever built at Helsinki Shipyard's
Panamax Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
-sized dry dock.Arctech Helsinki Shipyard is building the Arctic Icebreaking Tanker
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, 30 August 2018.
In May 2019, it was announced that this vessel would be the last built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard before the change of ownership. ''Yuriy Kuchiev'' was delivered in August 2019.


List of ships


References

{{United Shipbuilding Corporation Shipbuilding companies of Finland Defunct manufacturing companies of Finland United Shipbuilding Corporation