Speaking yesterday at the 5th Arctic Shipping North America Conference, Thomas Paterson, a Senior Vice-President of Fednav Limited, announced the placing of an order with Sumitomo Corporation and Universal Shipbuilding Corporation, Japan, for the design and construction of an ice-breaking bulk carrier with a design deadweight of 25,000 tonnes to service the transportation contract referred to above.
The Polar Class 4 vessel will be built at Universal’s Tsu shipyard, and will be classed by Det Norske Veritas. The scheduled delivery date is December 2013.
Fednav already owns and operates two of the world’s most powerful ice-breaking commercial vessels, the MV Arctic and the MV Umiak I. Based in Montreal, the Fednav Group is the leading Canadian operator in the deep-sea bulk market, operates year-round in ice-covered waters, and has the world’s largest fleet of ice-class vessels.
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Press Release, October 31, 2012; Image: fednav