Feature 3 | OIL SPILL RESPONSE Spill response ship can lay mines too
Early March saw the name-giving ceremony for a new type of multipurpose spill response vessel which is also designed to lay mines and operate as a warship.
Louhi is one of the most advanced vessels of its type in the world.
T
he vessel, Louhi, was named by Hannele Pokka, permanent secretary at the ministry of the
environment in Finland. Te multipurpose vessel will have Upinniemi, in the Kirkkonummi region of Finland, as its home port. Commissioned by the Finnish environmental institute (SYKE) and operated on its behalf by the Finnish Navy, Louhi is designed to be able to recover oil in open waters in conditions that are significantly more challenging than those in which Finland’s existing response vessels can operate. Te new vessel was due to begin operations in May 2011, although its trial period will last until the autumn of 2012. When operating as a military vessel, Louhi
is equipped for underwater operations with divers and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), and would be armed with a main gun, machine guns and mines. Te vessel would also be used to supply island forts and other naval vessels. Te vessel is designed to recover oil in icy conditions
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with the aid of highly specialised equipment but can also be used for emergency towing, fire-fighting and other rescue operations. Working on behalf of the Finnish Navy, the vessel will also be able to lay subsea cable, act as a platform for diving operations and lay mines in the event of a conflict. Louhi is also fitted with a suite of equipment to measure environmental conditions at sea.
TECHNICAL PARTICULARS Louhi
Owner.......................... Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
Operator ................................. Finnish Navy Builder ........Uudenkaupungin Työvene Oy Length .................................................71.4m Beam ...................................................14.5m Draught ...................................5.0m (16.4 ft) Ice class .........................................1A Super Main engines ..................4 × Wärtsilä 9L20 (4 × 1,800kW)
Te new spill response vessel is equipped
to operate in the Baltic all year round and has a maximum speed of 15knots. In 50cm (20inch)-thick ice the vessel is capable of 7.5knots. The ship has a bollard pull of 60tonnes. Te diesel-electric vessel is fitted with four Wärtsilä 9L20 generating sets which meet the requirements of IMO Tier II for emissions. Te propulsors take the form of a pair of Rolls-Royce azimuthing thrusters, each of 2700kW. Louhi is approximately 71m long and can store 1200m3 with 200m3
of recovered oil along of chemicals. With its oil
spill equipment deployed, it is capable of sweeping a channel with a width of approximately 42m. The new vessel will also act as a command ship during oil spill response operations. It has a 25-strong crew and accommodation for a total of 40 personnel. Finland’s framework for the development
of emergency response preparedness was set out in the government’s report Challenges of
Warship Technology July/August 2011
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