Trump's Finnish Icebreaker Identified as the 32-Year-Old Fennica

 

When President Donald Trump revealed that he is in negotiations with Finland's president to buy an "old" icebreaker, many observers assumed that he was considering the powerful and capable Polaris. It turns out that Polaris is not for sale, and the vessel under discussion is actually the 32-year-old Fennica - a well-known icebreaker that has worked previously off Alaska and has transited the Northern Sea Route. However, Fennica is six years older than the Coast Guard's own USCGC Healy, the aging medium icebreaker that the service wants to augment with another hull. 

Fennica was delivered in 1993 for the Finnish Maritime Administration. Fitted with two azimuthing thrusters and four engines developing up to 28,000 horsepower, she is capable of breaking 30 inches of ice at nine knots, and can continuously break ice up to six feet thick without ramming. With a long open back deck, Fennica can carry up to 4,800 dwt worth of cargo and supplies. Her hull form is specially adapted for better seakeeping and less snap rolling than traditional icebreakers (known for a lack of seakindliness in open ocean). 

As a working vessel, Fennica has a moderately successful history in the offshore sector, aided by her OSV-style layout and a massive 230 tonnes of bollard pull for rig repositioning. She has an endurance of about 45-65 days at sea, and can hold position in DP mode. However, her commercial prospects have been limited by her higher fuel consumption compared to conventional, non-icebreaking offshore service vessels. 

According to Finnish outlet IS, U.S. officials are still in talks with their Finnish counterparts over the terms of a lease or purchase agreement for Fennica. As part of a package deal, the United States would also order two new icebreakers that would be built in Finland, according to the outlet. 

Finnish employment minister Reko-Antti Suojanen told IS that the sale of the newer Polaris is not up for discussion. 

Any acquisition plan for Fennica would require a budget appropriation from Congress; a used icebreaker acquisition is not currently in the White House's budget request, nor in the reconciliation bill currently before the Senate. 

Top image: Fennica (file image courtesy Marcusroos / CC BY SA 3.0)