Finland, Sweden agree on design project for new icebreakers

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA) and the Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket) have entered into a cooperation agreement for the design of a new series of icebreakers.

The design of the icebreakers will be carried out as a joint procurement. However, the FTIA clarified that the cooperation agreement with Sjöfartsverket concerns only the design of the icebreakers and that no agreement has yet been made on the possible construction of the vessels.

The agreement applies to the design of two icebreakers for Finland and three for Sweden.

FTIA and Sjöfartsverket officials have confirmed that the modernisation of the two countries’ icebreaking fleets is due in part to the increasing sizes of vessels making calls at Finnish and Swedish ports. Further, many of the icebreakers in Finland and Sweden are nearing the ends of their respective service lives.