Arctia says its multipurpose icebreaker Nordica left Rauma and began assisting marine traffic as the Finnish icebreaking season’s eight icebreaker on Wednesday 28 February 2018. MSV Nordica will work in the Gulf of Finland. Arctia’s icebreakers Kontio, Otso, Polaris, Urho and Fennica already assist traffic in the Bothnian Bay and the Kvarken, and icebreakers Voima and Sisu in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland.
“We now head towards the Gulf of Finland through the Archipelago Sea. On the way we will check the ice situation on the fairways to Förby and Taalintehdas. At the outset, our operational area will cover areas east of Kantvik”, says Jyri Viljanen, Master of MSV Nordica.
Arctia Ltd. is a shipping company that owns and operates a fleet of eight icebreakers. The company provides icebreaking services, ice management and specialized multipurpose vessel services, along with the management and chartering of ships in Finland and abroad. In July 2017 Arctia’s multipurpose icebreaker Nordica crossed the Northwest Passage (NWP) for the second time. The vessel currently holds the records for both the earliest and the latest season transits of the NWP.
Arctia Ltd. continues the 140-year-old Finnish icebreaking tradition by deploying one of the strongest icebreaker fleets in the world. In Finland, icebreaking services are financed through a market-driven system based on fairway dues. Finnish icebreakers are available for charter missions in polar areas.