Icebreaker Botnica arrives in Tallinn
MSV Botnica, the icebreaker recently acquired by the Port of Tallinn, arrived at her new home on Thursday.
The port purchased the ship in October to replace the aging MS Tarmo, and plans to use it as its primary icebreaker on the Gulf of Finland until 2022. The Botnica, a used ship, cost 50 million euros, about half the price of a new one.
“MSV Botnica has for many years proved that she can handle the punishing conditions of the Baltic Sea and will now assure the ports of northern Estonia that even during this harsh winter, ice-breaking capabilities will be at their highest,” said Allan Kiil, member of the management board at Tallinna Sadam AS.
The MSV Botnica can break ice as thick as 1.2 meters.
“As MSV Botnica is a multifunctional icebreaker, in summer we can charter it out for building work on oil rigs,” said Kiil.
Transit routes through Estonia are bidirectional and any delay on shipping lines can radiate outward, hurting the competitiveness of local companies.
The ice-breaking season in Estonian waters runs 60-110 days per year.
Source: http://news.err.ee/