Oldest operating icebreaker Voima to undergo dry docking

Arctia and Turku Repair Yard, part of BLRT Grupp OÜ, have agreed on comprehensive dry docking and life extension for icebreaker Voima. IB Voima will move to the repair yard in Naantali, Finland, in the beginning of June 2016 and the works will be completed in September 2016. The works include extensive renewal of the hull’s steel structures and machinery equipment. In dry dock IB Voima’s machinery, deck equipment and accommodation will be overhauled, Arctia said in a press release.

Commissioned in 1954, IB Voima is the oldest vessel in Arctia’s icebreaker fleet. The sturdy-hulled Voima has demonstrated its reliability in the Baltic Sea over the decades and served as model for many four-propeller icebreakers built after it.

“This life extension will ensure Voima’s operational capability for at least another 10 years. The extension is part of our fleet’s upgrade and renewal program. Voima continues its important work assisting merchant vessels in Finland’s coastal waters”, explains Kari Patrakka, SVP for Technology at Arctia.