Design work for the first ship is already nearing completion, and the largest pieces of equipment – such as propeller devices and engines –
have been ordered. A part of the steel needed
for the ship has been acquired, but for the rest of
the material supply, steel production was started
in Vyborg in November 2014.
”The keel-laying will take place at Arctech’s
basin hall in June 2015. Launching of the ship
is scheduled for the new year 2015–2016, with
the delivery to our customer expected in June
2016,” Mustamäki describes the work schedule.
”The building of the ship will proceed in
phases so that design work is carried out first.
After this, steel production is gradually started.
Once the blocks have been delivered to Arctech,
next phases will be keel-laying and the start of
the hull assembly.”
European Union’s sanctions against Russia,
imposed on account of the crisis in Ukraine, did
not prevent the contract with Sovcomflot. However, they still affect Arctech’s operations to some
extent.
”The handling of bank business has become
slower. We also need to carry out lengthy conversations with equipment manufacturers to clarify
which things are possible and which are not,”
CEO Esko Mustamäki explains.
BOOST FOR THE INDUSTRY
In the opinion of Mr. Mustamäki, cooperation
with Russia’s largest shipping company has been a
good thing. He sees Sovcomflot as a highly capable expert organisation that is easy to work with.
A contract to build four new ships is of
course good news for Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.
The company intends to make sure that the ships
will be ready for delivery on time and in highly
satisfactory condition, with a view to attracting
further orders in the future.
Mr. Mustamäki believes that the new order
may liven up the marine cluster in Finland even
on a larger scale.
”Of course, the ships will need engines, propellers and quite a lot of other equipment that
can be supplied by subcontractors. If an order to
build ships yields a certain number of man-years
of work at our shipyard, it also means an equal
amount of work for other industrial companies in
Finland. Therefore, these four ships will increase
employment by 3 500 man-years of work altogether.”
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