MarineLog is reporting that Fincantieri, owner of Marinette Marine Corporation in the US (which built the USCGC Macinaw (WLBB-30) is building an icebreaking research ship for Norway.
“The project, promoted by the Norwegian government, has a total value of about 175 million euro.
That is about a quarter the cost of the projected Polar Icebreaker and even less than the cost of the OPCs. With its small crew it should also be inexpensive to operate.
“With a gross tonnage of 9,000 tonnes, a length of over 100 metres and a breadth of 21 metres, the vessel will be able to accommodate 55 persons in 38 cabins – research personnel, students and crew – and will be fitted out with the highest standards of comfort for passenger ships. On the bow, its hangar will be able to accommodate two helicopters (emphasis added–Chuck) and will be equipped with complex instrumentation able to investigate the morphology and geology of the seabed.”
This is smaller than our Polar class but still a very useful size, larger than the Wind Class, about the size of the USCGC Glacier (WAGB-4).
It might be a good basis for the two additional medium icebreakers we need.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Reblogged this on Brittius.com.
Buy some and post them to Alaska and Boston.
I’m quite sure that the vessel will be built locally by VARD, which was acquired by Fincantieri recently. Also, that’s a research ship, not a “true” icebreaker.
This is what the German Navy’s blog “MarineForum” says, “NORWAY–The Norwegian government has ordered an oceanographic icebreaker for operating in polar waters from Italian Fincantieri (Riva Trigoso-Muggiano) … with final outfitting at Norwegian Vard subsidy … future KRONPRINS HAAKON to be launched in second half of 2016; operational by early 2017.”
I also read the same news later and am quite surprised. On the other hand, VARD (and STX OSV or whatever it was called in the past) has built hulls in e.g. Romania and towed them to Norway for outfitting.
Judging from the renderings, it’ll be a rather conservative design with two pushing Z-drive thrusters with nozzles. “Polar-10 Icebreaker” is a pretty high ice class for a research ship, though, so perhaps they are aiming for slightly better icebreaking capability than their competitors…
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