Aker Arctic Designed Icebreaking Rescue Vessel Completes Sea Trials

The icebreaking rescue vessel Baltika returned from the first sea trials. The vessel left for sea trial on Thursday morning 6 March 2014. The sea trial was part of the test use of the ship, which is done to assure the functionality of the vessel systems.

Baltika is a Russian icebreaker designed by Aker Arctic Technology currently under construction at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland. She is the first ship ever built with an asymmetric hull that allows her to operate not only ahead and astern, but also obliquely (sideways) with a large angle of attack. In this way, the relatively small oblique icebreaker is capable of opening a wide channel in ice for large merchant ships.

By breaking ice sideways, the vessel is able to generate 50 m wide channel in 0.6 m thick ice. Bow and stern first the vessel can operate in 1.0 m thick ice.

Baltika will be delivered to the Russian Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport in spring 2014. The vessel will be used in icebreaking, rescue and oil combatting operations in the Gulf of Finland.

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Aker Arctic, March 14, 2014