Russia: Sovcomflot’s New Icebreaker Braves the Ice

On 7 March Sovcomflot’s new multifunctional icebreaking supply vessel Vitus Bering set sail on her first scheduled crossing from the port of Kholmsk to engage in work on the Sakhalin-I project as part of a long-term agreement with Exxon Neftegas Ltd.

In mid January, Vitus Bering left Saint-Petersburg and traveled approximately 13,000 nautical miles in 45 days, arriving at her area of permanent operations in the Sea of Okhotsk on 1 March.

Following loading and bunkerage at the port of Vanino, the vessel proceeded to the Orlan drilling platform situated in the north of the Sea of Okhotsk on Sakhalin Island’s coastal shelf. It took a total of 2.5 days to reach the platform.

Vitus Bering is to be engaged in the year-round support of offshore drilling platforms and will service the Orlan platform as well as supplying the Berkut platform. This supply vessel will operate in challenging climatic conditions and ice of up to 1.5 metres in thickness.

The crew consists of 21 shipboard personnel, all of whom are citizens of the Russian Federation.

In January this year a grand naming ceremony took place in Saint-Petersburg for SCF Group’s new supply vessel Vitus Bering. The Russian flag was hoisted aboard the ship – a joint construction project involving both Russian and Finnish shipbuilders. The ceremony was attended in person by the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Press Release, March 15, 2013