BLRT Group’s Turku Repair Yard in Finland repaired and rebuilt the Akademik Fyodorov, the flagship of Russia’s polar research fleet, to prepare the vessel for the largest exploratory expedition in the Arctic this decade. The ship is owned by the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of Roshydromet.

During the overhaul special equipment for measuring the sea depth and studying the seafloor was installed on the vessel, including a powerful sonar that produces three-dimensional imagery of the bottom of the sea. The cost of the project awarded in the public procurement was over 5 million euros.

In addition the research equipment installation, the ship also underwent extensive repairs during which its electronic systems were repaired, the vessel was painted and dockage work was performed. More than half of all this work was performed by the Tallinn enterprises of the BLRT Group.

Professor Ivan Frolov, Director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, says that the Akademik Fyodorov annually undergoes repairs and maintenance and a competition is organised to determine the company to undertake the necessary work. “This year some new research technological solutions were also added to the ship, such as sonar that produces three-dimensional imagery. There are just a few vessels with such equipment in the world.” Frolov adds that the work was performed successfully and quickly and now the Akademik Fyodorov will embark on a three-month expedition to the Arctic.

Arkady Soshnikov, Chief Engineer and Deputy Director of the institute, also confirms satisfaction with the speed and quality of the completed work, proven by the successful trials, and expresses the hope that the cooperation will continue in the future.

According to Fjodor Berman, Chairman of the Management Board of the BLRT Group, the main current customers of the Turku Repair Yard are Finnish vessels, like the state-owned ice-breakers and ships of Neste Oil, Tallink and Viking Line. “Russia has in the recent years completed the construction of several Baltic Sea ports, such as Ust-Luga, Vysotsk and Primorsk. The typical route of the vessels that visit these ports passes not far from our Finnish ship repairing enterprise. One of our development directions now, accordingly, is to examine this market,” adds Berman.

In the recent years many countries have become actively interested in polar research due to the oil and gas deposits found there. In addition to Russia, such countries as Norway, Denmark, Canada and the United States of America are interested in exploring the Arctic.

The Akademik Fyodorov was built in Finland at the Rauma Shipyard. The ship is 141.2 metres long and 23.5 metres wide.

The Turku Repair Yard has been part of the BLRT Group since June 2007. The enterprise has the largest dry dock in the Baltic Sea region. This Finnish company has facilities for repairing any vessel navigating the Baltic Sea. The dry dock is 265 metres long and 70 metres wide.

The BLRT Group’s main areas of activity are shipbuilding, ship repairs, manufacturing metal structures, sales of metals, port and stevedoring services, mechanical engineering, processing used metal, car transport services and sales of medical and industrial gases. The group consists of 62 subsidiaries in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Finland and Norway. The BLRT Group is Estonian-owned and has created around 2,000 jobs locally. The subsidiaries in other countries employ a total of over 3,000 people. The latest addition to the BLRT Group is Baltija, the largest shipyard in the Baltic States; it is situated in Klaipeda, Lithuania, and has approximately 1,200 employees.