Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency selects DNY Finland to build a new ice breaker
Published 19.8.2026 15.19
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency has prepared the procurement of a new icebreaker to secure winter navigation in Finnish waters. In the shipyard tendering process launched at the start of the year, DNY Finland Oy, whose shipyard is located in Helsinki, was selected to build the icebreaker. Construction will begin in 2027.
The new icebreaker will complement the current fleet and replace the 70-year-old icebreaker Voima. It is intended that construction of the new icebreaker will begin in 2027, with completion expected in September 2029.
“Winter navigation in Finland is based on long-standing expertise and close cooperation. It’s important that we ensure the icebreaker project proceeds as planned and that we procure a new, high-quality icebreaker that will serve Finland well into the future. “We’re also pleased that the vessel is being built in Finland,” says Kari Wihlman, Director General of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
New icebreaker to meet the ice-breaking requirements of the future
The icebreaker to be procured is Class B+, falling between the heavy Class A and medium Class B icebreakers.
“We’ve now completed the careful conceptualisation, design and ice model testing for the vessel, and it’s great to be moving on to the construction phase. Severe ice conditions are not going to disappear and we will continue to need icebreakers in the future,” says Elisa Mikkolainen, Director, Waterways at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
“We’ve now completed the careful conceptualisation, design and ice model testing for the vessel, and it’s great to be moving on to the construction phase. Severe ice conditions are not going to disappear and we will continue to need icebreakers in the future,” says Elisa Mikkolainen, Director, Waterways at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
The design solutions have taken particular account of changing and variable winter conditions, as well as the assistance requirements of merchant vessels. The new icebreaker is designed for better seaworthiness in open water which it will encounter more frequently in the coming decades due to climate change.
The new B+ class icebreaker has been awarded EUR 42 million in funding from the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) transport instrument. This is the largest CEF transport grant ever awarded to Finland.
More information:
Elisa Mikkolainen, Director, Waterways, tel. +358 295 343,493, [email protected]
Elisa Mikkolainen, Director, Waterways, tel. +358 295 343,493, [email protected]
