An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels, such as the icebreaking boats that were once used on the canals of the United Kingdom.
CCGS Terry Fox is a Canadian Coast Guard heavy icebreaker. She was originally built by Burrard-Yarrows Corporation in Canada in 1983 as part of an Arctic drilling system developed by BeauDril, the drilling subsidiary of Gulf Canada Resources. After the offshore oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea ended in the early 1990s, she was first leased and then sold to the Canadian Coast Guard.
MSV Fennica is a Finnish multipurpose icebreaker and offshore support vessel. Built in 1993 by Finnyards in Rauma, Finland and operated by Arctia Offshore, she was the first Finnish icebreaker designed to be used as an escort icebreaker in the Baltic Sea during the winter months and in offshore construction projects during the open water season. Fennica has an identical sister ship, Nordica, built in 1994.
Viking Supply Ships is a supply shipping company based in Kristiansand, Norway. Owned by Kistefos it owns four anchor handling tugs, six platform supply vessels and seven barges as well as for anchor handling tugs on order.
CCGS Captain Molly Kool is a Canadian Coast Guard converted medium class icebreaker. She was originally built as an icebreaking anchor handling tug Vidar Viking for Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore AS in 2001. The vessel was acquired by the Canadian Coast Guard in August 2018 and was commissioned in May of the next year after refit.
Double acting ship is a type of icebreaking ship designed to run ahead in open water and thin ice, but turn around and proceed astern (backwards) in heavy ice conditions. In this way, the ship can operate independently in severe ice conditions without icebreaker assistance but retain better open water performance than traditional icebreaking vessels.
CCGS Jean Goodwill is an icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) being converted to a medium class icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. She was originally built as Balder Viking for Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore AS in 2000. The vessel was acquired by the Canadian Coast Guard in 2018 and is expected to enter service in late 2019.
CCGS Vincent Massey is an icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) being converted to a medium class icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. She was originally built as Tor Viking for Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore AS in 2000 and has also trader under the name Tor Viking II. The vessel was acquired by the Canadian Coast Guard in 2018 and is expected to enter service in summer 2020.
Arctech Helsinki Shipyard is a Finnish shipbuilding company that is part of the Russian state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation. The company focuses primarily on icebreakers and other icegoing vessels for arctic conditions.
Vladimir Ignatyuk is a Russian icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel. She was built by Burrard-Yarrows Corporation in Canada in 1983 as Kalvik as part of an Arctic drilling system developed by BeauDril, the drilling subsidiary of Gulf Canada Resources. After the offshore oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea ended in the early 1990s, she was sold to the Canadian shipping company Fednav in 1997 and renamed Arctic Kalvik. In 2003, she was purchased by Murmansk Shipping Company and transferred to Russia.
MSV Botnica is a multipurpose offshore support vessel and icebreaker built by Finnyards in Rauma, Finland, in 1998. She was the newest and technically most advanced state-owned icebreaker of Finland until 2012, when she was sold to the Port of Tallinn for 50 million euro. Botnica is used as an escort icebreaker in the Baltic Sea during the winter months, but carries out subsea and offshore construction works worldwide during the open water season.
Arcticaborg (Арктикаборг) is an icebreaking platform supply vessel. She was previously operated by Wagenborg Kazakhstan in the Caspian Sea but was transferred to Canada in 2017 and acquired by Fathom Offshore in 2018. In 2019, she was contract to Russia for two years.
MSV Nordica is a Finnish multipurpose icebreaker and offshore support vessel. Built in 1994 by Finnyards in Rauma, Finland and operated by Arctia Offshore, she and her sister ship Fennica were the first Finnish icebreakers designed to be used as escort icebreakers in the Baltic Sea during the winter months and in offshore construction projects during the open water season.
Voima is a Finnish state-owned icebreaker. Built by Wärtsilä Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki in 1954, she was the first icebreaker in the world to be equipped with two bow propellers and generated widespread publicity that helped the Finnish shipbuilding industry to become the world leader in icebreaker design.
Arctia Oy is Finnish state-owned company responsible for operating a Finnish icebreaker fleet. The company was established as Arctia Shipping Oy in 2010 when Finnish icebreaking services were incorporated. The name of the parent company was changed to Arctia Oy on 18 January 2016. It has following subsidiaries: Arctia Icebreaking Oy, Arctia Offshore Oy, Arctia Karhu Oy, and Arctia Management Services Oy. Arctia has a floating office next to the icebreaker base at Katajanokka in Helsinki.
Vyborg Shipyard PJSC is a shipbuilding company located in Vyborg, Russia. The company has a focus on icebreakers and other icegoing vessels for arctic conditions, but the company has also built deep sea semi-submersible floating drilling and production platforms for exploration of oil and gas offshore fields. Vyborg Shipyard employs more than 1,500 people.
Robert LeMeur was an icebreaking platform supply vessel used to support oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea. Built in 1982 by Burrard Yarrows Corporation in Vancouver, British Columbia, she was part of the fleet of Canadian icebreakers, drillships and support vessels operated by Canadian Marine Drilling (Canmar), the drilling subsidiary of Dome Petroleum and later Amoco Canada Petroleum Company.
Miscaroo was an icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel built by Vancouver Shipyards for BeauDril, the drilling subsidiary of Gulf Canada Resources, in 1983. She was part of a fleet of Canadian icebreakers used to support offshore oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea. In the 1990s, the vessel was acquired by Canadian Marine Drilling (Canmar) and renamed Canmar Miscaroo. In 1998, she was purchased by Smit International and served in the Sakhalin oil fields as Smit Sakhalin until 2017 when the 34-year-old icebreaker was sold for scrapping in China.
Ikaluk is an icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel built by Nippon Kōkan K. K. Tsurumi Shipyard in Japan for BeauDril, the drilling subsidiary of Gulf Canada Resources, in 1983. She was part of a fleet of Canadian icebreakers used to support offshore oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea. In the 1990s, the vessel was acquired by Canadian Marine Drilling (Canmar) and renamed Canmar Ikaluk. In 1998, she was purchased by Smit International and served in the Sakhalin oil fields as Smit Sibu. Since 2009, she was owned by FEMCO Management and in 2012 was given back her original name. Ikaluk was sold to China in February 2018 and later renamed Beijing Ocean Leader.
Kigoriak is a Russian icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel. Built by Saint John Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company for Canadian Marine Drilling (Canmar) in 1979 as Canmar Kigoriak, she was the first commercial icebreaking vessel developed to support offshore oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea.
