The government is investing additional funds to continue the renewal of the icebreaker fleet, so that additional icebreakers can be acquired. The plan that the government will present in the near future includes new funds for icebreakers, says Andreas Carlson.
Sweden currently has six icebreakers, the three largest of which, in the Atle class, entered service in the 1970s and are nearing the end of their service lives, and thus must gradually be replaced.
According to the Minister of Infrastructure, the investment means secured icebreaking capacity for “decades to come.”
This is very encouraging news for the industry that depends on our having open shipping lanes and opportunities for freight transport by sea year-round, says Carlson.
The 4.1 billion is intended for another large icebreaker, or two smaller ones for the same amount if the Swedish Maritime Administration assesses that this will more cost-effectively solve the operational challenges, according to Carlson.
The announcement from the government comes in parallel with the completion of the procurement for a new icebreaker on Friday. At the Maritime History Museum, the Swedish Maritime Administration signed a contract with the South Korean shipyard HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for the manufacture of a new icebreaker that is scheduled to be delivered in 2029. It will both have a greater capacity – it will be able to break a channel up to 32 meters wide – and reduce emissions.
The Swedish Maritime Administration has the six state icebreakers Ale, Atle, Frej, Oden, Ymer and Idun. When necessary, external resources in the form of tugboats are hired.
Atle, Frej and Ymer – the largest icebreakers – are part of the Atle class and were commissioned in 1974, 1975 and 1977 respectively.
Nearly ten million tons of goods are transported to and from the ports in the Gulf of Bothnia each winter, which corresponds to approximately one million trucks.
Sweden and Finland have had close cooperation on icebreaking for a few years now. This can mean that sometimes a Finnish icebreaker assists traffic to a Swedish port and vice versa.
Source: Swedish Maritime Administration
