Dynamic first

Developed by Finnish company Aker ArcticTechnology, Baltika is claimed to be the first ship ever built with an asymmetric hull that allows her to break ice not only ahead and astern, but also at an oblique angle. In this way, the icebreaker can open a channel in ice whose width is disproportionate to the vessel’s relatively small size. The innovative, multifunctional vessel is equipped with a Navis Engineering dynamic positioning control system and autopilot that have been approved as ‘meeting performance expectations’ following a set of Arctic ice trials in the Kara Sea.

Ice trials were conducted around the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya and across the Kara Sea to the Gulf of Ob, close to the Sabetta terminal area. The trials involved performance tests in two distinct ice thicknesses in ahead and astern directions as well as in the oblique mode. Various operational tests were also carried out in order to determine the maneuverability and operational capability of the vessel.
Pic source:Aker Arctic