Chilean icebreaker Almirante Viel

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Almirante Viel At Mulle Prat.jpg
Icebreaker Almirante Viel at its home port in Punta Arenas
History
Flag of Chile.svgChile
NameAlmirante Viel [1]
Namesake Counter admiral Óscar Viel y Toro
Operator Chilean Navy
Ordered1 November 2017 [2]
Builder ASMAR, Talcahuano
CostUS$217 million [3]
Yard number114 [2]
Laid down27 August 2019 [2]
Launched22 December 2022 [1]
Commissioned3 July 2024 [4]
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics [5] [2]
Type Icebreaker, research vessel
Tonnage
  • 10,044  GT
  • 3,013  NT
  • 4,088  DWT
Displacement10,400 t (10,200 long tons)
Length111 m (364 ft 2 in)
Beam21 m (68 ft 11 in)
Draught7.2 m (23 ft 7 in)
Depth10.6 m (34 ft 9 in)
Ice class Polar Class 5
Installed power
  • 2 ×  Wabtec 16V250MDC
  • 2 × Wabtec 6L250MDC
  • 20.7 MW (27,800 hp) (combined)
Propulsion Diesel-electric; two shafts (2 × 4.5 MW)
Speed
  • 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) in open water
  • 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) in 1 m (3.3 ft) ice
Range14,000 nautical miles (26,000 km; 16,000 mi)
Endurance60 days
CrewAccommodation for 150
Aviation facilitiesHelipad and hangar for two medium helicopters of the Super Puma or Cougar type

Almirante Viel is a Polar Class 5 icebreaker operated by the Chilean Navy. [6] [7] [8]

Contents

History

Previously referred to with the project name Antartica 1, it replaced the 1969-built second-hand vessel Almirante Óscar Viel acquired from Canada in 1994 and decommissioned in 2019. Accounts differ as to when construction of the ship began. The Santiago Times reported the first steel was cut in May 2017, while Jane's Navy International reported construction began in August 2018. [3] [9] The ship was built at the Chilean shipyard ASMAR. [10] She was classed by Lloyd’s Register. [10] Maritime Executive reported in 2016 that she would be comparable to Argentina's ARA Almirante Irízar. [11]

The ship was launched 22 December 2022. [12]

In April 2024, the ship completed its first round of sea trials. [13]

Design

Almirante Viel is 111 metres (364 ft 2 in) long overall and has a beam of 21 metres (68 ft 11 in) and draft of 7.2 metres (23 ft 7 in). She displaces 10,400 tonnes (10,200 long tons). [2] She has accommodation for 150 crew and passengers such as scientists and researchers. [3]

Almirante Viel is strengthened for navigation in ice in accordance with the Unified Requirements for Polar Class Ships developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). Her ice class, Polar Class 5, is intended for year-round operation in medium first-year ice which may include old ice inclusions. [5] [14]

Almirante Viel has a diesel-electric propulsion system. [2] Her power plant consists of four medium-speed diesel generators: two sixteen-cylinder Wabtec 16V250MDC and two six-cylinder Wabtec 6L250MDC units. The total rating of the power plant is 20.7 megawatts (27,800 hp). The engines meet International Maritime Organization Tier III emission limits for nitrogen oxides without the use of selective catalytic reduction. [15] Her two fixed pitch propellers, each driven by a 4.5-megawatt (6,000 hp) electric propulsion motor, give Almirante Viel speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) and range of 14,000 nautical miles (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) in open water, and ability to break 1-metre (3.3 ft) level ice at a continuous speed of 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph). For maneuvering and dynamic positioning, she has a 2-megawatt (2,700 hp) bow thruster. [2] [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Launch of Chile's first self-built icebreaker". PolarJournal. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "ASMAR Talcahuano 114 (9843948)" . Sea-web. S&P Global . Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Chile cuts steel for its new 13.000 tons icebreaker". Santiago Times . 2017-05-15. Archived from the original on 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-10-25. The vessel is scheduled to be completed within four years at a cost of USD217 million, according to the Chilean Ministry of Defense.
  4. ↑ "Es chileno: Así es el primer buque rompehielos construido en Sudamérica". GobiernodeChile. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Design of the Chilean Antarctic Vessel Archived 2018-10-28 at the Wayback Machine . Dan McGeer, VARD Marine. Retrieved2018-10-28.
  6. ↑ Kate Tringham (2018-10-24). "Euronaval 2018: ASMAR ramps up production of new Chilean Navy icebreaker". Jane's Navy International . Paris. Archived from the original on 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2018-10-25. Speaking to Jane's at Euronaval 2018 in Paris, ASMAR shipyard's chief marketing officer, Jorge Terrazas, confirmed that first steel was officially cut in August, marking the start of construction at its Talcahuano facilities in the Biobio region.
  7. ↑ Carolina Contreras (2017-07-20). "Chile Builds Its First Icebreaker Ship". Dialogo Americas . Archived from the original on 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-10-25. 'Antártica 1 will have greater capabilities for supporting high-level, onboard scientific activities which will allow it to break from the seasonality of scientific work, accessing data in real time, and analyzing the results obtained while underway,' Retamales said. 'It will have modern, hydroacoustic equipment, such as echo sounding, sonar, an ocean floor profiler, a current profiler, and a high-precision acoustic positioning system. It will also be outfitted with biology, microbiology, and chemistry labs, and it will have the means for collecting, storing, and preserving water samples and samples from the seabed, with the capacity provided by modern and spacious refrigeration chambers,' he added.
  8. ↑ "Chile plans to build a new icebreaker and has earmarked an initial 150 million". South Atlantic News Agency . 2014-12-09. Archived from the original on 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2018-10-25. Chilean defense sources said the icebreaker project to replace the 6.500 ton Almirante Viel include an initial budget of 150 million dollars and building the new 8.000 ton ice breaker with foreign technical assistance in local shipyard Asmar. Meanwhile, Marinero Fuentealba, an 1,800-ton offshore patrol vessel with reinforced hull for polar operations, is being completed by ASMAR for commissioning in August.
  9. ↑ "Chile cuts steel for its new 13.000 tons icebreaker to be operational in 2022/23". South Atlantic News Agency . 2017-05-11. Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2018-10-25. Chilean president Michelle Bachelet cut the first sheet of steel for the construction of the country's new icebreaker which is expected to be operational for the 2022/23 Antarctic season, replacing the ageing Almirante Oscar Viel.
  10. 1 2 Maritime, Baird (2024-12-03). "Almirante Viel – Chilean Navy icebreaker to support Antarctic research efforts". Baird Maritime / Work Boat World. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
  11. ↑ "Chile Moves Forward with New Icebreaker". Maritime Executive. 2016-02-01. Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2018-10-25. The new vessel, to be delivered in 2021, will rival Argentina's 15,000 ton displacement Almirante Irizar, presently the largest icebreaker in South America.
  12. ↑ The Maritime Executive (2022-12-26). "Video: Chile Launches the First Icebreaker Built in South America". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
  13. ↑ The Maritime Executive (2024-04-28). "Chile's New Icebreaker Prepares to Enter into Service". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
  14. ↑ "Unified Requirements for Polar Class ships" (PDF). International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  15. ↑ "Almirante Viel selects Wabtec IMO Tier III". Marinsa International. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
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