BOTNICA icebreaker

[aukepalmhof]

Built as a tug/icebreaker under yard No 421 by Aker Finnyards Oy, Rauma, Finland for the Finnish Maritime Administration, Helsinki.
02 September 1997 keel laid down.
20 February 1998 launched under the name BOTNICA.
Tonnage 6.370 gross, 1.911 net, 2.850 dwt, dim. 96.70 x 24 x 8.5m. (draught), length bpp. 77.5m.
Powered by 12 each 12-cyl Carterpillar Vee Oil 4SA engines, driving 6 generators each 2.267kW connected to two electromotors 5000 kW. Two Azipod Fp stern thrusters. Speed 12 knots.
Economical speed 10 knots oil consumption 30 ton a day.
Three Brunvol tunnel variable pitch thrust propellers forward, each 1150 kW.
Accommodation for 72 persons.
Fitted out with a 160-ton crane, and a 15-ton crane. Helideck forward for a Super Puma.
Working deck area 1.000m².
Bollar pull 117 tons.
01 June 1998 completed.

Built as a combined offshore support vessel and icebreaker. Can act also as a support ship for submersibles as she is equipped with a moonpool.
She is on a long-term charter by TSMarine, to undertake primarily subsea decommissioning works in Northern European waters and to support subsea construction and intervention operations.
She is fitted out with a blast wall between the deck and the accommodation, a gymnasium, and a
sauna.
http://www.equassis.org gives for 2006: Imo No 9165877 owned and managed by Merenkulkulaitos, Helsinki.

On 24 October 2012, the Port of Tallinn purchased BOTNICA for 50 million euros to replace the 1963-built TARMO. According to Arctia Shipping, the newest state-owned icebreaker was sold because the company has been unable to find profitable long-term charters for the multipurpose vessel BOTNICA changed her port of registry to Estonia on 28 November 2012.
In 2018, BOTNICA was chartered to Baffinland Iron Mines to escort iron ore shipments from Baffin Island from July until the end of October. The contract has an option for summers 2019–2022. In January 2019, it was announced that the 2019 summer season option was utilized.

2022 In service, same name, and owners.

Wikipedia


Finland 2005 first-class mail sg?, Scott?
Niger 2019 800Fr and 3300Fr sg?, Scott? Although this edition was authorized by the Niger postal administration, it was not sold in Niger, but only distributed to the novelty trade by the Nigerian philatelic agency.

Source: Watercraft Philately Vol.52 page 48. Marine News. http://www.tsmarine.net/downloads/Botnica_spec.pdf