Finland's icebreaker Nordica has set off for Canada, where it will assist the Canadian Coast Guard with icebreaking and ice-management tasks in the Arctic later this year. This marks a new development in Finland's role in North America's icebreaking industry.
Nordica departed from Kotka, Finland, on August 23 and is expected to reach St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, by September 5, based on shipping data. After this, the ship will head north to the Canadian Arctic for its seasonal duties.
This mission follows a contract signed in July between Finland's state-owned Arctia and Qikiqtaaluk Horizon Arctic Services, a joint venture owned by the Inuit, with Horizon Naval Engineering as Arctia’s partner. The Canadian Coast Guard is the primary customer. The contract, which covers icebreaking, vessel assistance, and ice management, is for one year with options for renewal. Arctia noted that the job will not include law enforcement or defense tasks.
The Canadian Coast Guard stated, “Through a charter with QHAS, an Inuit-owned company, the MSV Nordica will aid our icebreaking, search and rescue, and environmental response operations in the Arctic. This extra capacity will help us with our new maritime security mandate.”
The Nordica is 116 meters (381 feet) long and was built in 1994 at Aker Finnyards shipyard in Rauma, Finland. It has a displacement of about 12,800 tonnes and is powered by a diesel-electric system that delivers 15 megawatts through two azimuthing thrusters. This setup gives the vessel a 230-tonne bollard pull and excellent maneuverability in ice.
Nordica has a wealth of experience in Arctic operations. In 2017, it achieved a record for the earliest seasonal transit of the Northwest Passage, traveling from Vancouver to Greenland in just 24 days over more than 6,000 miles. It has also worked in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas and participated in offshore projects globally.
This deployment showcases Finland's growing expertise in icebreaking that goes beyond just building ships. Under the ICE Pact, Canada, Finland, and the United States are collaborating on icebreakers for Arctic and polar regions, while Finnish shipyards are actively constructing vessels for North American clients.
For instance, Canada’s Polar Max is being built with the hull work done at Helsinki Shipyard before final assembly in Quebec. Additionally, Rauma Marine Constructions and Helsinki Shipyard are building Arctic Security Cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Nordica’s journey to Canada also aligns with Finland's seasonal icebreaking schedule. The ship is expected to return to the Baltic Sea before Finland's icebreaking season starts, which usually happens around December, allowing it to continue assisting merchant vessels during winter.
Last winter highlighted the severity of Baltic ice conditions. Russia dispatched the nuclear-powered icebreaker Sibir from the Arctic to the Baltic, a journey that took several weeks after the vessel left Pevek in January. It then operated in the Gulf of Finland, where heavy ice affected shipping operations.