We are a general Naval Architect and Marine Engineering company, and we have worked with all the most common ship types. In addition, many other topics are related to our experience base.
The cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness of ships are strongly related issues. We know how the reduction of emissions and carbon footprint can also mean financial savings. We have a long experience in making solutions related to these issues in all phases of ships’ life cycles. Together with our customers, we also learn more all the time.
The progress of developments that threaten ecosystems and the climate must be stopped now and not somewhere in the distant future. We are involved in ship design projects that apply battery operation and alternative fuels, and we are also working together with our ship owner client to design ships whose purpose is to take concrete climate action.
Our most significant expertise is related to ice technology. All the ships we have designed that have been built have been ice-classified, and many of them have been actual icebreakers: harbor, offshore, multipurpose and escort icebreakers. With our experience, we have developed a strong view of how the icebreaking and maneuverability requirements set for various ships, as well as other requirements related to the operational profiles of the ships, are best met.
The primary function of most types of icebreakers is to assist other ships in ice conditions. Our task is to design the ships so that the work can be conducted as smoothly as possible. In addition to good ice-breaking capability, the operation also requires the best possible ability to turn and move in ice. We have traditionally been improving that aspect of icebreaker performance. The latest example of this is our patented so-called principle of reamer propulsion.
The development of new types of icebreaking solutions is our company’s trademark, and multi-functionality has always played a key role in this. Multi-functionality means cost savings. Our customers have been strong entities that have valued our partnership in product development activities. For example, together with the Swedish Maritime Administration (later Arctia Shipping), we once found a solution to the traditional problem of large escort icebreakers – that they are unsuitable for any other purpose – and we jointly developed a multipurpose icebreaker that is effective both in icebreaking and as an open water vessel for offshore work. Together with Väylävirasto, we came up with the idea of a motorized, detachable icebreaking bow, which when combined with a pusher vessel, represents the latest cost-effective way to break ice in inland waters. Both inventions are based on a similar design philosophy.
In more than 30 years, we have delivered services related to ice technology to numerous customers in Europe, Asia and North America. Currently, there are three icebreakers operating in the Arctic regions of Russia and the Far East of Russia, for which we have done both the conceptual and basic design. Russian professionals and Russian conditions have taught us a lot. On the other hand, one of our strong partners in icebreaking research and product development has been the Norwegian Equinor. Together with the Norwegians, we have developed without prejudice a wide variety of icebreaker concepts related to the offshore sector.
We have solid experience with a variety of utility vessels and workboats, powerful ships with working decks and a wide variety of transport, lifting and towing capacities. Above all, we have worked with offshore support vessels, buoy tenders, and various multipurpose vessels.
Offshore support vessels have been close to our hearts for decades. Their operational profiles are often combinations of a considerable variety of work tasks. They can serve as supply vessels for drilling rigs or other manned offshore structures, in which case the required amount of deck cargo space and tank capacity must be planned for them. They can also function as, for example, anchor handlers, offshore construction vessels, diving support vessels, drillships, escort tugs, walk to work vessels, firefighting and oil spill response vessels, search & rescue vessels – and of course as icebreakers and ice management vessels.
We have experience in designing offshore vessels for all of the above-mentioned tasks.
Applying multi-functionality in our customers’ ship projects has mostly been motivated by the fact that we are Finns: Finland is a small country with limited resources, and the possibility of building one multi-purpose vessel instead of two or more special vessels has in many cases been very attractive. By multi-purpose vessel we mean, on the one hand, a vessel that is suitable for several types of work tasks, on the other hand, also a vessel that has two or more clearly different main purposes (dual-role vessel, multi-role vessel).
When designing a multi-purpose vessel, our starting point is that a multi-purpose vessel must perform each of its tasks at least as well or better than a special vessel designed specifically for each task. This principle became successful reality first in the case of the so-called multipurpose icebreakers.
A considerable number of our projects related to multi-functionality have been related to vessels’ oil spill response capabilities. Combining oil spill prevention functions with various types of vessels performing other main work tasks is a good example of the implementation of reasonable multi-functionality. Fortunately, oil response capacity is not needed very often, but when the emergency is greatest, it is important that there is a lot of high-quality capacity available. Thanks to the fundamental work carried out under the leadership of the Finnish Environmental Protection Agency, Finland now has a large amount of high-quality oil response capacity in addition to the actual oil response vessels, for example in buoy tenders and ferries.
In addition to designing the newbuildings of multipurpose vessels, we are well prepared to carry out expansions of the operational profiles of already existing vessels and changes in the purposes of use. We have been the main designer in several large conversion projects.
We have done the concept and basic designs of several ice-classified harbor tugs and harbor icebreakers with escort tug functionalities, and in addition we have done a large number of other commissions related to tugs or towing in general. We also have numerous tugboat concepts, which were made as a result of our own product development, and which we can sell to customers as is or after the necessary modifications.
We have designed a large number of road ferries, commuter ferries and small passenger ships. They operate in the archipelagos of Turku, Kotka and Stockholm, as well as in Helsinki. In addition, we have done countless repair and modification design projects for these types of vessels.
Image: Puolustusvoimat / The Finnish Defence Forces
Navy and border guard vessels – large carriers – barges and pontoons – research vessels and survey vessels – shallow draft vessels.
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