Estonia requesting €60 million from EU for new icebreaker

The Estonian State Fleet is applying for funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) transport program to build a new environmentally sustainable icebreaker.
The cost of the icebreaker, which is essential for Estonia, is approximately €122 million. The program expected to cover approximately half of the construction costs. The rest will come from the state budget.
Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet (SDE) said, while recent winters have been mild, Estonia must be prepared for colder periods and have the ability to keep routes ice-free.
"It is also worth noting that the planned ship is not intended solely for icebreaking; it will have multiple purposes, such as protecting underwater infrastructure," he said in a press release.
Estonia has three icebreaking-capable vessels: Tarmo, Eva-316, and the state-chartered Botnica. Eva-316 primarily operates in Pärnu Bay, and the other two in the Gulf of Finland.
Under current plans, Tarmo, which was built in 1963, must be retired in 2028.

In recent years, Eva-316 has undertaken icebreaking tasks after modifications to her bow. But the ship has already been in service for 43 years and was originally designed for waterway maintenance.
The average lifespan of an icebreaker is considered to be 50 years.
Designing a new vessel is expected to take three to four years due to its complexity, said State Fleet Director General Andres Laasma.
He said the new icebreaker must be tailored to local conditions and capable of operating as needed in both the Gulf of Finland and shallower waters such as Pärnu Bay.
Beyond icebreaking, the ship should be able to perform other tasks, including pollution control, rescue operations, and supporting scientific research.
The design of the icebreaker must also meet environmental standards, including the use of alternative fuels.
The results of the CEF funding round will be announced in August of this year. A total of €2.5 billion will be allocated in this round to develop and modernize European transport infrastructure.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Helen Wright