TS Shipping, a subsidiary of Port of Tallinn, has won a public tender organised by the Estonian Transport Administration for the provision of annual icebreaking services and navigation support in the Gulf of Finland for a firm period of 10 years commencing on December 20, 2022.
The concession has a total value of approximately €54.2 million (US$65.5 million). The transport administration will pay for all charter days, regardless of the actual use of the icebreaker.
The service will be provided by the multi-functional icebreaker Botnica. Compared to the icebreaking service agreement of the previous 10-year period, there is an additional condition to bring a replacement vessel for service within 10 days in case the contracted main vessel should fall out of use.
Port of Tallinn said it will mitigate the risk of vessel downtime by increasing the reliability of Botnica's vital systems.