Sweden wants lower emissions for new icebreakers

Radio Sweden
Posted: Friday, January 8, 2016 at 13:41
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A passenger ship travels along a route made by an icebreaker in the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden in April 2013. The icebreakers used to make these kinds of routes are in for a major overhaul. (Anders Wiklund/Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images)

Sweden’s five state-owned icebreakers are nearing retirement, and so the Swedish Maritime Administration has started work to develop designs for one that will replace either Atle or Frej, in the Bay of Bothnia, between the northern part of Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s current fleet of icebreakers were built in the early ’70s, after a decision to keep the harbors open for shipment year-round, and Mikael Sandström, the project manager at the Swedish Maritime Administration, tells Radio Sweden that technical developments can help the new icebreakers be more energy efficient.

Environmental concerns

The new designs will consider “not only the shape and form of the hull but also the fuel consumption and also environmental aspects. We want to have less emissions out in the atmoshphere,” Sandström said.

The administration is starting with the procurement process now and hope this first vessel will be ready for delivery in 2020 or 2021. Eventually all the icebreakers will be replaced, according to Sanström.

Each icebreaker is estimated to carry a SEK 1 to 1.5 billion pricetag, and Sandström says the vessels should be able to operate efficiently for about 50 years.