Arctia Ltd. says its icebreaker Kontio’s last oil recovery exercise for the time being was held on 19 March off Oulu. The oil recovery readiness agreement between Arctia and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) will expire on 13 April 2016, after which the oil recovery equipment will be stripped from Kontio and returned to the EMSA, says Arctia.
The agreement was initially signed for three years and was extended with one three-year option period. The agreement did not include further options, and the EMSA does not have an open invitation for tenders for the northern Baltic Sea at the moment.
Arctia’s harbour icebreaker Ahto will continue to serve in oil recovery duties on the Bay of Bothnia in cooperation with the Rescue Services of Lapland. Ahto’s oil recovery equipment is specially designed for the recovery of oil from ice. Finland’s new icebreaker Polaris entering Arctia’s ownership later this spring will also be outfitted for oil recovery.