MT Varzuga
Encyclopedia
MT Varzuga (Варзуга) is a Russia
n product tanker operated by Murmansk Shipping Company. After her modernization in 1993 she became the first merchant ship to be equipped with an electric azimuth thruster
, Azipod
.
in Rendsburg
, Germany
, was the last ship of a series of four arctic product tankers ordered by a Finnish
oil and petroleum products company
Neste Oyj
in the 1970s. The ships were given names after Finnish seabird
s and the silhouette
s of their namesake birds were painted on the side of the ships' superstructure. Lunni
(Atlantic Puffin
) and Sotka (Aythya
) were delivered in 1976 and Tiira (Tern
) and Uikku (Grebe
) in the following year. Until the 1990s the ships were used mainly to transport oil products in the Baltic Sea
.
In 1993 Uikku was chartered to a newly-founded Arctic Shipping Services to ship petroleum products in the Arctic Ocean
. The new shipping company, based in Murmansk
, was a joint operation between two Russian companies, Murmansk Shipping Company and Primorsk Shipping Company, and a Finnish company Nemarc Shipping Oy, which in turn was a joint venture shipping company owned by Neste
and Kværner Masa-Yards. The ship's propulsion machinery was modernized for navigation in the harsh ice conditions of the Arctic Ocean in 1993 and her ice-strengthening was increased in 1998. In the following years Uikku operated in the Baltic Sea in winter and in the Northern Sea Route
during summer months.
In 1997 Uikku became the first merchant ship under non-soviet flag to navigate the entire Northern Sea Route
. In the following year she took part in Arctic Demonstration and Exploratory Voyage (ARCDEV), a research project funded by the European Union
to determine the feasibility of year-around navigation in the Northern Sea Route. Uikku, accompanied by a Russian nuclear powered icebreaker
NS Rossiya to open the way and a research icebreaker
Kapitan Dranitsyn to provide facilities to 70 researchers from different countries, carried a cargo of gas condensate from Ob river
estuary to Europe.
Fortum
sold Uikku, mainly due to her age exceeding 25 years, to Murmansk Shipping Company in 2003. She was renamed Varzuga (Варзуга) after the Varzuga River
. As Fortum is a state-owned company, the selling of two oil tankers capable of navigating in severe ice conditions resulted in a written question to the Parliament of Finland by Representative Pentti Tiusanen
about whether the ships should be retained in Finnish control as they could be used to lighten a grounded
oil tanker in harsh winter conditions.
The ship has since been used for oil transportation in the Arctic Ocean. Along with her sister ship Indiga (ex-Lunni), sold to Russians at the same time, she has been involved in transporting oil from an oil terminal in the Ob Bay
of the Kara Sea
through the Kara Gates, the strait between Vaygach and Novaya Zemlya
, to FSO Belokamenka in the Kola Bay
of the Barents Sea
.
in ice — in normal operation only one of the two main engines was coupled to shaft, with the other remaining in reserve for difficult ice conditions. The highly-raked stem, similar to those in traditional icebreakers, was designed to break the ice by bending it downwards under the ship's weight. The ships were also equipped with an air bubbling system to reduce friction between the hull and ice. To prevent pollution in case of grounding the ships were also built with double hulls and conformed to the IMCO regulations in respect of segregated ballast tanks even though they were regarded only recommendations back then.
12M551AK main engines (2 × 5737 kW), reduction gearbox, shaft generators, controllable-pitch propeller and rudder were removed and replaced with Wärtsilä
Vasa marine generating sets and a 11.4 MW electric propulsion unit. Being one of the early designs the Azipod unit in Uikku was of the so-called "pushing" type with an aft-facing propeller instead of the more efficient "pulling" set-up usually used in modern Azipod-equipped ships.
Upgrading the propulsion machinery dramatically improved her manoeuvering and icebreaking capabilities, especially when running astern. Even though the ship's stern wasn't originally designed or shaped for icebreaking, ice resistance astern in level ice was only 40% of that of when running ahead despite the icebreaking bow. The modernization of Uikku also further proved the feasibility of Azipod in icebreaking ships and the double acting tanker
(DAT) concept as navigation in the severe ice conditions in the Northern Sea Route sometimes required the ship to be turned around and run astern to break through ice. The refit also increased her speed from 14.5 to 17 knots despite the propulsion power remaining roughly the same.
Uikkus sister ship, Lunni, was similarly modernized in the following year.
In 1998 the ice-strengthening of Uikku was upgraded and increased for the severe ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean, making her hull strength exceed the demands for Finnish-Swedish ice class
1A Super. The hull was also instrumented with strain gauge
s for the ARCDEV research voyage.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n product tanker operated by Murmansk Shipping Company. After her modernization in 1993 she became the first merchant ship to be equipped with an electric azimuth thruster
Azimuth thruster
An azimuth thruster is a configuration of ship propellers placed in pods that can be rotated in any horizontal direction, making a rudder unnecessary...
, Azipod
Azipod
Azipod is the registered brand name of the ABB Group for their azimuth thruster. Originally developed in Finland jointly by Kvaerner Masa-Yards dockyards and ABB, these are marine propulsion units consisting of electrically driven propellers mounted on a steerable pod.The pod's propeller usually...
.
History
Uikku, built in 1977 by Werft Nobiskrug GmbHNobiskrug
Nobiskrug Ltd. is a shipbuilding company located on the Eider River in Rendsburg, Germany, specializing in building luxury yachts. It is now a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi MAR. The shipyard currently employs some 400 people....
in Rendsburg
Rendsburg
Rendsburg is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the northeastern part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the Kreis of Rendsburg-Eckernförde. As of 2006, it had a population of 28,476.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, was the last ship of a series of four arctic product tankers ordered by a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
oil and petroleum products company
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...
Neste Oyj
Neste Oil
Neste Oil is a Finnish oil refining and marketing company producing mainly transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products. Neste Oil shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.- History :...
in the 1970s. The ships were given names after Finnish seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s and the silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
s of their namesake birds were painted on the side of the ships' superstructure. Lunni
MT Indiga
MT Indiga is a Russian product tanker operated by Murmansk Shipping Company. After her modernization in 1994 she became the second merchant ship, after her sister ship Varzuga, to be equipped with an electric azimuth thruster, Azipod....
(Atlantic Puffin
Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic Puffin is a seabird species in the auk family. It is a pelagic bird that feeds primarily by diving for fish, but also eats other sea creatures, such as squid and crustaceans. Its most obvious characteristic during the breeding season is its brightly coloured bill...
) and Sotka (Aythya
Aythya
Aythya is a genus of diving ducks. It has twelve described species.Aythya shihuibas was described from the Late Miocene of China. An undescribed prehistoric species is known only from Early Pleistocene fossil remains found at Dursunlu, Turkey; it might however be referrable to a paleosubspecies of...
) were delivered in 1976 and Tiira (Tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
) and Uikku (Grebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
) in the following year. Until the 1990s the ships were used mainly to transport oil products in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
.
In 1993 Uikku was chartered to a newly-founded Arctic Shipping Services to ship petroleum products in the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
. The new shipping company, based in Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
, was a joint operation between two Russian companies, Murmansk Shipping Company and Primorsk Shipping Company, and a Finnish company Nemarc Shipping Oy, which in turn was a joint venture shipping company owned by Neste
Neste Oil
Neste Oil is a Finnish oil refining and marketing company producing mainly transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products. Neste Oil shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.- History :...
and Kværner Masa-Yards. The ship's propulsion machinery was modernized for navigation in the harsh ice conditions of the Arctic Ocean in 1993 and her ice-strengthening was increased in 1998. In the following years Uikku operated in the Baltic Sea in winter and in the Northern Sea Route
Northern Sea Route
The Northern Sea Route is a shipping lane officially defined by Russian legislation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean specifically running along the Russian Arctic coast from Murmansk on the Barents Sea, along Siberia, to the Bering Strait and Far East. The entire route lies in Arctic...
during summer months.
In 1997 Uikku became the first merchant ship under non-soviet flag to navigate the entire Northern Sea Route
Northern Sea Route
The Northern Sea Route is a shipping lane officially defined by Russian legislation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean specifically running along the Russian Arctic coast from Murmansk on the Barents Sea, along Siberia, to the Bering Strait and Far East. The entire route lies in Arctic...
. In the following year she took part in Arctic Demonstration and Exploratory Voyage (ARCDEV), a research project funded by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
to determine the feasibility of year-around navigation in the Northern Sea Route. Uikku, accompanied by a Russian nuclear powered icebreaker
Nuclear powered icebreaker
A nuclear powered icebreaker is a purpose-built ship for use in waters continuously covered with ice. Icebreakers are ships capable of cruising on ice-covered water by breaking through the ice with their strong, heavy, steel bows...
NS Rossiya to open the way and a research icebreaker
Research vessel
A research vessel is a ship designed and equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel, others require a dedicated vessel...
Kapitan Dranitsyn to provide facilities to 70 researchers from different countries, carried a cargo of gas condensate from Ob river
Ob River
The Ob River , also Obi, is a major river in western Siberia, Russia and is the world's seventh longest river. It is the westernmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean .The Gulf of Ob is the world's longest estuary.-Names:The Ob is known to the Khanty people as the...
estuary to Europe.
Fortum
Fortum
Fortum Oyj is a Finnish publicly listed energy company, which focuses on the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland and the north-west of Russia. After acquisition of Russian energy company TGC-10 in year 2008, Western Siberia has become an important operating area for Fortum. The head of the company...
sold Uikku, mainly due to her age exceeding 25 years, to Murmansk Shipping Company in 2003. She was renamed Varzuga (Варзуга) after the Varzuga River
Varzuga River
Varzuga River is a river in the south of the Kola Peninsula in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is 254 km in length. The area of its basin is 9,840 km². The Varzuga River flows into the White Sea. It freezes up in October and stays under the ice until May.This is the most prolific atlantic...
. As Fortum is a state-owned company, the selling of two oil tankers capable of navigating in severe ice conditions resulted in a written question to the Parliament of Finland by Representative Pentti Tiusanen
Pentti Tiusanen
Pentti Uolevi Tiusanen is a Finnish politician and member of Finnish Parliament, representing the Left Alliance. He was elected to Finnish Parliament in the 1995 election.-External links:**...
about whether the ships should be retained in Finnish control as they could be used to lighten a grounded
Ship grounding
Ship grounding is a type of marine accident that involves the impact of a ship on the seabed, resulting in damage of the submerged part of her hull and particularly the bottom structure, potentially leading to water ingress and compromise of the ship's structural integrity and stability...
oil tanker in harsh winter conditions.
The ship has since been used for oil transportation in the Arctic Ocean. Along with her sister ship Indiga (ex-Lunni), sold to Russians at the same time, she has been involved in transporting oil from an oil terminal in the Ob Bay
Gulf of Ob
The Gulf of Ob is a gigantic bay of the Arctic Ocean, located in Northern Russia at the head the mouth of the Ob River....
of the Kara Sea
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya....
through the Kara Gates, the strait between Vaygach and Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
, to FSO Belokamenka in the Kola Bay
Kola Bay
Kola Bay or Murmansk Fjord is a 57-km-long fjord of the Barents Sea that cuts into the northern part of the Kola Peninsula. It is up to 7 km wide and has a depth of 200 to 300 metres. The Tuloma and Kola Rivers discharge into the bay....
of the Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
.
Incidents
On 19 July 2010 Varzuga collided with her sister ship Indiga while being assisted by two nuclear icebreakers in difficult ice conditions. The bow of the Varzuga and the stern of the Indiga were damaged, but neither vessel lost seaworthiness and there were no spills.Design
Uikku and her sister ships were designed to be able to navigate in the ice conditions of the Baltic Sea independently without icebreaker assistance and maintain a moderately high speed in ice. For this purpose they had more power than an average Baltic tanker and were normally required to use only 50-75% of the full engine powerMaximum Continuous Rating
Maximum continuous rating is defined as the maximum output that a generating station is capable of producing continuously under normal conditions over a year. Under ideal conditions, the actual output could be higher than the MCR....
in ice — in normal operation only one of the two main engines was coupled to shaft, with the other remaining in reserve for difficult ice conditions. The highly-raked stem, similar to those in traditional icebreakers, was designed to break the ice by bending it downwards under the ship's weight. The ships were also equipped with an air bubbling system to reduce friction between the hull and ice. To prevent pollution in case of grounding the ships were also built with double hulls and conformed to the IMCO regulations in respect of segregated ballast tanks even though they were regarded only recommendations back then.
Modernization
Uikku was extensively modernized by Kværner Masa-Yards' Helsinki New Shipyard in 1993 and became the first merchant ship to receive a newly-developed electronic azimuth thruster, Azipod. Before her retrofitting the only ship equipped with such propulsion was fairway maintenance vessel Seili owned by the Finnish Maritime Administration. Her original MaKMaschinenbau Kiel
Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH designed, manufactured and marketed marine diesel engines, diesel locomotives and tracked vehicles under the MaK brand name. The three primary operating divisions of Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH were sold to different companies in the 1990s.Rheinmetall acquired the military...
12M551AK main engines (2 × 5737 kW), reduction gearbox, shaft generators, controllable-pitch propeller and rudder were removed and replaced with Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä is a Finnish corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include large combustion engines...
Vasa marine generating sets and a 11.4 MW electric propulsion unit. Being one of the early designs the Azipod unit in Uikku was of the so-called "pushing" type with an aft-facing propeller instead of the more efficient "pulling" set-up usually used in modern Azipod-equipped ships.
Upgrading the propulsion machinery dramatically improved her manoeuvering and icebreaking capabilities, especially when running astern. Even though the ship's stern wasn't originally designed or shaped for icebreaking, ice resistance astern in level ice was only 40% of that of when running ahead despite the icebreaking bow. The modernization of Uikku also further proved the feasibility of Azipod in icebreaking ships and the double acting tanker
Double acting ship
Double acting ship is a type of icebreaking merchant ship designed to run ahead in open water and astern in ice...
(DAT) concept as navigation in the severe ice conditions in the Northern Sea Route sometimes required the ship to be turned around and run astern to break through ice. The refit also increased her speed from 14.5 to 17 knots despite the propulsion power remaining roughly the same.
Uikkus sister ship, Lunni, was similarly modernized in the following year.
In 1998 the ice-strengthening of Uikku was upgraded and increased for the severe ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean, making her hull strength exceed the demands for Finnish-Swedish ice class
Finnish-Swedish ice class
The Finnish-Swedish ice class is an ice class assigned to a vessel operating in first-year ice in the Baltic Sea and calling Finnish or Swedish ports...
1A Super. The hull was also instrumented with strain gauge
Strain gauge
A strain gauge is a device used to measure the strain of an object. Invented by Edward E. Simmons and Arthur C. Ruge in 1938, the most common type of strain gauge consists of an insulating flexible backing which supports a metallic foil pattern. The gauge is attached to the object by a suitable...
s for the ARCDEV research voyage.