Finnish self-propelled icebreaking bow completes full-scale trials

Finland’s Aker Arctic has successfully completed full-scale ice trials for the self-propelled, detachable icebreaking bow Saimaa and pusher tug Calypso.

The test program was successfully completed in sunny spring weather shortly after the Saimaa Canal was opened for traffic after the annual winter closure.

Aker Arctic’s scope of work included vessel instrumentation, ice property measurements, performance trials, analysis and reporting.

During the ice trials, an ice load monitoring system (ILMS) supplied by Aker Arctic provided information on real-time thrust and torque data from all four propellers of the combination. In addition, the connector pins used to couple Saimaa and Calypso are also instrumented and connected to the ILMS.

Aker Arctic’s partners on the project are Turku Repair Yard, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA), Alfons Håkans, and Danfoss.

Saimaa was built by Turku Repair Yard and delivered to the FTIA in December 2020. In addition to supplying the ILMS system, Aker Arctic also designed and delivered two complete 600kW shaft lines to the detachable icebreaking bow and ice-strengthened bronze propellers to the tug.


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