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The naming ceremony for Aleksey Chirikov, a new arctic offshore vessel built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, took place on Thursday ahead of its scheduled delivery to Russian shipping company Sovcomflot next week.
The vessel is the second of two arctic offshore supply vessels that Arctech has built for Sovcomflot, which specialises in hydrocarbon transportation from Arctic and subarctic regions in challenging icy conditions. The first vessel of the series, NB 506 Vitus Bering, was delivered to Sovcomflot in December 2012.
Managing Director of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, Esko Mustamäki, said: “Vitus Bering and Aleksey Chirikov are the result of excellent cooperation between Arctech and Sovcomflot. These state-of-the-art multifunctional icebreaking supply vessels can be utilised in many arctic areas in the future and I see a global need for such Arctic vessels.”
Icebreaking
Both vessels have been designed for extreme environmental conditions and will be operating in thick drifting ice in temperatures as cold as minus 35 C°. The icebreaking capability of the vessels is extremely high with capacity to operate independently in 1.7 meter thick ice.
In addition, the vessels are fitted with four engines that can generate a total power of 18,000 kW and a propulsion power of 13,000 kW. As multipurpose vessels, they have also been built to carry various type of cargo and are equipped for oil combating, fire fighting, and rescue operations.
Asia-Pacific oil and gas exploration
Confirming that the Aleksey Chirikov will operate in the Far Eastern seas, Sergey Frank, President of OAO Sovcomflot, said: “The ongoing development of projects on the continental shelf in the Far East with the active involvement of Russian companies will allow Russia to further strengthen its positions in the rapidly expanding Asia-Pacific region.
“The construction of vessels like Aleksey Chirikov is fully in line with the Sovcomflot strategy to expand company participation in industrial projects on Russia’s continental shelf. Aleksey Chirikov and Vitus Bering bring together the very latest innovations in shipbuilding science and technology and are in high demand from both Russian and international oil and gas companies.”