Helsinki’s icebreaker order secured

American Davie Defense has signed a contract with the US Coast Guard for the construction of two icebreakers in Helsinki. Davie Defense belongs to the same group as the Canadian shipyard company Davie.

Davie is known in Finland as the owner of the Helsinki shipyard and the Mäntyluoto shipyard in Pori.

In total, the contract covers five icebreakers, the remaining three of which will be built in Texas. In Texas, the shipbuilder is Davie Defense. The company will announce the agreement in a press release on Wednesday.

The United States and Finland reached an agreement on the order of a total of eleven icebreakers already in October. At that time, it was reported that four of the icebreakers would be manufactured in Finland in Helsinki and Rauma, the rest in the United States.

The contract for the two vessels at the Rauma shipyard was confirmed at the end of December. Now it’s the Helsinki shipyard’s turn.

First the icebreaker will be delivered from Helsinki in 2028. The work will start immediately.

The construction is led by the Helsinki shipyard in cooperation with the Mäntyluoto shipyard in Pori, Sata Shipbuilding. Pori shipyard supplies block structures for ships.

The total employment effect of the two ships is estimated to be around 5,000 person-years.

“The Helsinki shipyard’s excellent icebreaker solutions and world-class design and shipbuilding know-how, combined with Pori’s steel production, enable an exceptionally fast delivery schedule,” says the CEO of Davie’s Finnish shipyards Mika Heiskanen in the bulletin.

Finland the state administration commented on the agreement right away.

“The confirmation of the Helsinki shipyard’s icebreaker order is an excellent thing. This and the previously reported agreement with the Rauma shipyard will have a very significant positive effect on the Finnish maritime industry,” says the Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Park (ps) in the bulletin.

Prime minister Petteri Orpo (kok) on the other hand photographed In the X message service contract as good industrial news.