The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA) and Arctia Ltd have made a three-year agreement on icebreaking for the coming winters, said FTIA and Arctia Ltd in separate press releases on Monday.
The FTIA is responsible for the coordination of winter navigation services and operations, official duties and steering, and Arctia operates the icebreakers.
The Finnish harbours freeze over every winter, and, depending on the extent of the ice cover and the challenges posed by the ice winter, vessels moving among the ice are assisted approximately 300 to 3,000 times a winter.
Typically, the icebreaking season begins before the turn of the year, and the peak season takes place in February.
“In accordance with the agreements, we have eight Arctia icebreakers at our disposal, and they can be deployed as necessary as the winter progresses and the ice cover grows,” said Helena Orädd, head of unit of FTIA.
“Our service promise is that 90% of the vessels can enter the harbour without waiting and those waiting will receive icebreaker assistance in less than 4 hours. In addition to the fairways leading to harbours, we also assist in the open sea. In accordance with the treaty with Sweden, we also assist ships to Swedish ports,” Orädd added.
The new agreement brings efficiency and customer orientation.
“The new agreement will enable a more flexible departure order for icebreakers, and this will also create efficiency for the entire service package,” said Orädd.
The new icebreaking agreement introduces a more cost-effective operating model. The service provider now has more opportunities to influence operational decisions, such as the departure order of icebreakers.
This enables more efficient responses to varying ice conditions and improves the performance of winter navigation.
