Only on AP: Inside record-breaking MSV Nordica icebreaker скачать в хорошем качестве

Only on AP: Inside record-breaking MSV Nordica icebreaker

(29 Aug 2017) LEADIN: After 24 days at sea and a journey spanning over 10,000 kilometres (6,214 miles), Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica set a new record for the earliest transit of the fabled Northwest Passage. But what does it take to tackle the once-forbidding route through the Arctic? STORYLINE: 13,000 tons of steel, 15,000 kilowatts of power, for a 5,500 nautical mile journey from the west coast of Canada, up and over the American continent to Greenland. The Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica is one of more than a hundred specially-built vessels which ply the waters of the Polar regions, the Baltic sea or the Great Lakes of North America. These are the battering rams of far northern or southern climes, where thick surface ice forms at least part of the year, impeding other types of ships. The MSV Nordica, operated by the Finnish state-owned enterprise Actia, boasts a rather unusual design in comparison to vessels steered from the centre of the bridge. "We have an asymmetric shape of the bridge," explains Captain Jyri Viljanen, who's been working with the vessel ever since the keel was laid in 1993. This lay-out provides a 240-degree view around the ship, essential when assisting other vessels or operating sometimes just several hundred feet from offshore infrastructure. There's no wheel. Instead two levers control massive thrusters beneath the stern that can turn a full 360 degrees. "We can turn the vessel very, very fast or stop the vessel fast also, if necessary," says Viljanen. The Nordica's four mighty diesel engines generate electricity for these two azimuth thrusters and three smaller thrusters beneath the bow for combined power equivalent to about 100 mid-size cars. While traditional icebreakers use the hull of the ship to ram or crush the ice, these Azimuth thrusters also enable the vessel to pulverise the ice by directing a high-pressure current onto the ice. "We are using the levers for aiming the thruster current and we can use the aiming of the current for breaking the ice," explains Viljanen, as he demonstrates the mechanism. "We can break like one metre of ice very easily." For David 'Duke' Snider, the Canadian ice navigator onboard to assist the Nordica navigate the treacherous ice flows, this technology greatly improves the maneuverability of the vessel. "Traditional icebreakers, certainly in North America, are based on fixed propellers and shafts - large rudders, that sort of thing. And that limits their maneuverability," he says. "The aquamaster or the ABB Azipod drives give you much more flexibility and directional thrust. You can thrust right 90 degrees to the side of a ship. And that give you that ability to turn very quickly and actually move in the ice very quickly." These are the largest Azimuth thrusters in the world, build by the Finnish company ABB. Able to operate at sea for months at a time, the Nordica is like a well-tuned factory and engineers onboard must be able to fix or repair anything that comes their way. "This is cleaning our main engine's oil, lubricant oil," explains mechanic Jari Jarvinen, as he conducts regular maintenance. Just like a car, boats too need clean oil, but changing oil is no option here. "Here there is maybe 6,000 litres of oil. That's why we clean it all the time. It's so expensive to change it," says Jarvinen. The vessel also has so-called ABB positioning system, which allows it to maintain its position to less than a metre, even in rough seas. It's an essential feature when operating near other boats, structures, or even underwater operations. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...