Offshore icebreaker
Varandey is an Arctic offshore icebreaker owned by Lukoil. It is the larger of the two multipurpose offshore vessels ILS designed to assist tanker traffic at the Arctic oil terminal in Varandey, in the Pechora Sea. In addition to icebreaking and ice management, Varandey and her partner Toboy take care of the transportation of the terminal’s equipment and personnel, and operate in the terminal area for fire-fighting, oil and chemical recovery, and rescue and emergency towing readiness.
Varandey is a very strong ship: propelled by a total of 16.8 MW of propulsion power, it is able to break a 1.7 meter solid ice with a 20 cm layer of snow on top. The hull shape of the vessel, together with Steerprop’s azimuthing thrusters, guarantees the vessel good maneuverability in the ice, which is of paramount importance in assisting other vessels. Azimuthing thrusters are also important to Varandey’s ability to perform ice management and dismantle the huge ice formations that are typical of the area.
Varandey, built by Singapore-based shipyard Keppel, is the first ever icebreaker built in Asia.
