Naming Ceremony for SCF Group at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard

The naming ceremony took place for a new ice-breaking platform supply vessel (IBSV) commissioned by SCF Group. She was named after Gennadiy Nevelskoy, a famous explorer of the Russian Far East. The new IBSV has been built according to the latest international standards of the global shipbuilding industry, and to the highest specifications set for vessels that operate in harsh environments.

Gennadiy Nevelskoy (deadweight 3,000 tons) will have Saint Petersburg as her home port and will be registered under the Russian flag. She is the first of four vessels commissioned by SCF Group. The other three are ice-breaking standby vessels (IBSBVs) that have a smaller deadweight (2,000 tons), but offer enhanced functionality and a higher accommodation capacity. All the four vessels are being built at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard. Arctech has overall responsibility of the design, hull assembly, outfitting, testing and commissioning of the ships. Building of the vessels brings approximately 3500 man-years of work to Helsinki Shipyard.

The vessels will be used for the year-round delivery of supplies and consumables to offshore platforms, and for performing standby duty near them. The vessels will also be outfitted for integrated environmental protection and rescue operations.

The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, which is providing technical supervision during the construction of all the four vessels, has assigned the ice class of Icebreaker 6 to the new IBSV.

The vessel naming ceremony was attended by Sergey Frank, President and CEO of PAO Sovcomflot, and Alexey Rakhmanov, President of United Shipbuilding Corporation. Also present at the ceremony was Vladimir Evenko, Chief Engineer and Director of Classification Department of the Russian Marine Register of Shipping.

The vessel was sponsored by Ekaterina Sokolova, PhD, Research Professor at the Centre for Maritime International Studies of the Admiral Nevelskoy State Maritime University in Vladivostok.

Esko Mustamäki, CEO of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard said:

“This vessel which was named today is the first one of totally four vessels under construction for Sovcomflot. This vessel is technically a forerunner in arctic shipbuilding. It is also environmentally advanced and fulfills already the IMO Tier III requirements. We have also paid special attention to the underwater noise level caused by the ship.”

Alexey Rakhmanov, President of USC, said:

“We have long-lasting ties with Finland’s shipbuilders. Russian specialists collaborated with their Finnish counterparts in the construction of ice-class tankers and special vessels for the development of the Artic Basin. We are learning icebreaking technologies from our partners, but at the same time we contribute our own competences.

The Gennadiy Nevelskoy shall continue our cooperation and carry on the glorious traditions of the Russian-Finnish shipbuilding industry. I am convinced that Sovcomflot will do justice to the performance characteristics of the vessel.”

Sergey Frank said:

“Adding Gennadiy Nevelskoy to our fleet enables us to strengthen Sovcomflot’s position as a global leader in the ice-breaking supply vessel class. The rich historical experience of Russian-Finnish cooperation, in building vessels for Arctic and Sub-Arctic seas, constitutes a good basis for contemporary cooperation projects in this field. It is symbolic that the ship on which Gennadiy Nevelskoy carried out the Amur expedition, Baikal, was constructed in 1848 in Helsinki.”

Alexander Kukel-Kraevsky, great-great-grandson of Admiral Nevelskoy, sent a message of greeting, which was read at the ceremony. “The name that gives birth to this icebreaking vessel is symbolic. Indeed just one hundred and fifty years ago, having abandoned a quiet, satisfied and high achieving career, Captain-Lieutenant Nevelskoy with his team made significant achievements within wild and inhuman conditions, following great hardship and sometimes at the cost of life, by having explored and, in essence, having created the conditions for integrating most of the Far East into Russia. One can say he gave birth to this region,” the message noted.

Gennadiy Nevelskoy naming ceremony: SCF & Godmother of the ship