OREANDA-NEWS. January 21, 2013. Naming ceremony for the Vitus Bering lead icebreaking platform supply vessel took place at the passenger terminal "Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment". Olga Lukasheva, deputy director on economy and finance of Vyborg Shipyard, became the Godmother of the new icebreaking vessel.

According to the Russian newspaper, the ceremony was attended by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. "We will continue our efforts to develop the full range of special vessels, including those working in harsh conditions. Vitus Bering was built by Russian shipbuilders jointly with Finnish partners, 90% of the work was done by Russian companies", - noted the head of state.

Construction of vessels of the Vitus Bering series is a joint project of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard and Vyborg Shipyard. About 90 % of steel structures were fabricated at Vyborg Shipyard. Final backfit of the vessels for the contracted operation including installation of navigation systems of the Russian manufacturer Tranzas and satellite aided Glonass system is performed by United Shipbuilding Corporation in St.-Petersburg.

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Modern multipurpose vessels of the Vitus Bering series will be operated in the Far East seas of Russia. In particular, it is planned to use this type of icebreakers to ensure the smooth operation of Sakhalin-1 oil production platforms at the Arkutun-Dagi field in the Sea of Okhotsk.

These vessels have been designed for extreme environmental conditions and equipped with dynamic positioning system. Winterization of the vessels guarantees safe operation in 1.7m thick ice.