BV to class Caspian ice-breaking tugs

Bureau Veritas (BV) has been chosen to class two different series of sophisticated ice-breaking tugs for service in the Caspian Sea.

The first series is for three plus two 66 m loa ice-breaking and ice management tugs with 50 tonne bollard pull and Ice Class IA Super Special Service – North Caspian Sea Icebreaker with ice breaking capability up to 0.6 m level ice thickness. Designed by Aker Arctic, they will be built in the STX RO Offshore Braila yard in Romania for the Caspian Offshore Construction group project in the North Caspian Kashgan oil field.

“These vessels have been designed by Aker Arctic and will be classed by BV, linking two centres of expertise,” explains Gijsbert de Jong, manager, BV. In addition to towage and pushing barges in open water and in ice conditions, they will be capable of ice management operations in astern working mode, clearing ice rubble. The vessels will be equipped to undertake fire-fighting, rescue and evacuation tasks and have deck cargo capability for supply functions.

The second series is currently out to tender and is for shallow draught ice-breaking AHTS vessels to be built for Silverburn Shipping. Designed by Netherlands-based Offshore Ship Designers these vessels will be easy to maintain and repair and can work in 70 cm of ice. They have a significant load carrying capability on a shallow draught and provide a minimum 45 tonne BP. Model tests at Aker Arctic showed the hull form can perform in ice to Finnish/Swedish Ice Class 1A Super standards. Main dimensions are a 49.6 m length, a beam of 16.5 m, a seagoing draught of 3.5 m and a shallow draught of 2.5 m.

“Bureau Veritas has invested heavily in developing expertise in working in difficult ice environments,” explains de Jong. “And we have a lot of experience with very sophisticated offshore craft. In these projects we can bring all that expertise to bear on robust, simple but highly capable vessels, helping the designers, yards and owners to achieve the vessels they need for a tough job.”