STX to build three Caspian Sea icebreakers

STX Europe has, through its wholly owned subsidiary STX Norway Offshore AS, signed contracts for building of three icebreaker tugs to JSC Circle Marine Invest. The subsidiary company, Caspian Offshore Construction in Kazakhstan will operate the vessels in the Kashagan field of the northern Caspian Sea. The vessels will be delivered in 2010 and 2011, and the total value of the three contracts amounts to approximately NOK 750 million.

“With Caspian Offshore Construction being a new customer to STX Europe, these contracts are of strategic importance to us. The Caspian Sea is of great interest to STX Europe, especially the Northern part where our ice breaking expertise is required” says Roy Reite, President for STX Europe’s business area Offshore & Specialized Vessels.

The vessels are designed by the STX Europe subsidiary Aker Arctic, and have a length of 65m, a beam of 16.4m and will have the Ice class notification 1A* Super, according to the Finnish-Swedish Ice classification rules. In addition, the newbuildings will be equipped and designed for other operations including fire fighting, rescue operation and towing in shallow waters.

“The Caspian icebreaker tugs are based on the first Aker Arctic DAS icebreakers, having operated for more than 10 years in the Kashagan oil development. They are also showing the good synergies between Aker Arctic and STX Europe”, says Mikko Niini, President of Aker Arctic Technology Inc.