Page 62: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2025)

ICEBREAKERS

Comatec, Elomatic and ILS Oy. Rauma Marine Contractors is currently building four

Finland is also a leading supplier of icebreaker systems Polar Class navy corvettes and Aker Arctic is developing the and equipment, with companies present in design through design for a new Baltic escort icebreaker for the government, build, and systems and equipment: where the building yard is to be decided.

• Design: Aker Arktic, Bluetech Finland, Comatec, Finland and Sweden signed a collaboration agreement in

Eloatic and ILS Ship Design. September 2024 where the countries agreed to explore joint- • Build: Helsinki Shipyard, Rauma Marine Contrac- ly developing an Arctic icebreaker to research the impacts of tors, Almaco, Craftmer, Helkama Bica, Hexagon and NIT global warming, pollution impacts from Arctic Russia and to

Naval Interior Team. secure subsea communications and electric cables. The coun- • Systems and equipment: ABB, Kongsburg Maritime, tries further identify the need to cooperate on the renewal of

Wartsila, Steeprop, Alfa Laval Aalborg, Alupro, AQTra- the icebreaker ? eet suited to the Baltic. fotek, Auramarine, Furno, Halton Marine, Lamor, Ma- Finland’s Transport Agency (FTA) and the Swedish kon, Marioff, Promeco, Synkronex, Vibrol and WE Tech Maritime Administration (SMA) developed the Baltic Ice-

Solutions. class rules, starting in the 1890s and have been subsequently

Finland is targeting the potential opportunity presented by updated. The highest Finnish-Swedish Ice Class, 1AS, was the ICE Pact. A good example is Helsinki Shipyard’s ability introduced in 1965, which is roughly equivalent to Polar to leverage its ownership by Davie Quebec to build one of Class PC6, allowing winter navigation in sub-Arctic Waters

Canada’s new Aker Arctic ARC 148 PolarMax heavy polar (the Baltic) and summer navigation in the Arctic Waters.

icebreakers, with Davie completing and commissioning the vessel at its Quebec yard. NATO Arctic Countries

Outside of Russia, the remaining seven Arctic powers are now all members of NATO, which sees what it refers to as the High North as being an increased geopolitical com- petition. The ICE Pact of Canada, Finland and the United

States is one response to this challenge. Now we address the remaining four NATO Arctic members:

Sweden

The Swedish Maritime Agency has a prime role to keeping

Other European Icebreakers

Source: Intelatus Global Partners 62 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • November 2025

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