Page 64: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2025)

ICEBREAKERS services in fjords. Authorities invited the PC5 polar research vessel Sir David breakers supporting keeping their ports tenders for two areas, Islo Fjord and Attenborough, delivered in 2021, and ice free and open in the Gulf of Finland

Naeroyfjorden in 2025 for one year ? rm Germany’s Polastern II PC2 research and Gulf of Riga.

and one year of options. These tenders icebreaker, being built by Thyssen- Austria and Poland operate small are supported by European Union fund- Krupp with a planned delivery of port and inland icebreakers.

ing. Baseline ice conditions are identi- 2030/2031.

? ed as mild sea ice. Polar Class vessels France maintains polar presence Outlook will not be required. through both research and polar tourism Evolving ice conditions as a result

Norway is evaluating potentially up- vessels the 2017-built PC5 icebreaker of climate change have resulted in an grading existing its existing icebreakers L'Astrolabe (built at Crist Poland and increased interest in the Polar regions.

or even procuring new capacity. Chantier Piriou in France) and the This interest can be seen in height- 2021-built PC2 polar expedition cruise ened commercial shipping activity in

Other European countries vessel Le Commandant Charcot, deliv- three Arctic shipping routes (North-

Only Germany and the UK have ered from Vard (Romania and Norway). west Passage, North Sea Route and research and/or security icebreakers Italy’s 1995-built research icebreaker the not-yet open Trans-Arctic Ship- capable of operating year-round in Laura Bassi can operate in the polar ping Route), increased focus on the the polar regions, the UK’s 2002-built regions only in the summer months. exploration and production of oil &

Arctic patrol vessel HMS Protector and Estonia and Latvia operate Baltic ice- gas and subsea minerals (particularly

Technical Overview of the Icebreaker Fleet

It is no surprise that the kilowatt rating of installed power and propulsion increases by Polar Class, given the requirements for icebreaking increase. The average of the PC2 class is obviously in? uenced by Rus- sia’s nuclear icebreakers. Generally, LOA and beam increase as Polar Class requirements become higher, with the one anomaly of the PC3 class, in? uenced by some shorter Canadian icebreakers.

Source: Intelatus Global Partners 64 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • November 2025

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