Almirante Viel is a Polar Class 5 icebreaker operated by the Chilean Navy.[6][7][8] Previously referred to with the project name Antartica 1, it will replace the 1969-built second-hand vessel Almirante Óscar Viel acquired from Canada in 1994 and decommissioned in 2019. Accounts differ as to when construction of the ship began. The Santiago Times reported the first steel was cut in May 2017, while Jane's Navy International reported construction began in August 2018.[2][9]
| History | |
|---|---|
 Chile | |
| Name | Almirante Viel[1] |
| Operator | Chilean Navy |
| Builder | ASMAR, Talcahuano |
| Cost | US$217 million[2] |
| Yard number | 114[3] |
| Launched | 22 December 2022[1] |
| Commissioned | 3 July 2024[4] |
| Identification | IMO number: 9843948[3] |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics [5] | |
| Type | Icebreaker, research vessel |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 13,000 tons[2] |
| Length | 111 m (364 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 21 m (68 ft 11 in) |
| Draught | 7.2 m (23 ft 7 in) |
| Depth | 10.6 m (34 ft 9 in) |
| Ice class | Polar Class 5 |
| Installed power | Four 3,400 kW (4,600 hp) General Electric diesel generators |
| Propulsion | Diesel-electric; two shafts 2 × 4,500 kW (6,000 hp) main propulsion motors |
| Speed |
|
| Range | 14,000 nautical miles (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) |
| Endurance | 60 days |
| Aviation facilities | Helipad and hangar for two medium helicopters of the Super Puma or Cougar type |
Almirante Viel is 111 metres (364 ft 2 in) long and has a beam and draft of 21 metres (68 ft 11 in) and 7.2 metres (23 ft 7 in).[2] She displaces 13,000 tons. Her maximum speed is 15 knots (28 km/h).
She will have the capacity to house 150 crew and researchers or passengers.[2]
She will be able to sail through one-year ice, one meter thick, at 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph).[2]
Maritime Executive reports that when completed, she will be comparable to Argentina's ARA Almirante Irízar.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b "Launch of Chile's first self-built icebreaker". PolarJournal. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f
"Chile cuts steel for its new 13.000 tons icebreaker". Santiago Times. 2017-05-15. Archived from the original on 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
The vessel is scheduled to be completed within four years at a cost of USD217 million, according to the Chilean Ministry of Defense.
- ^ a b "ASMAR Talcahuano 114 (9843948)". Sea-web. S&P Global. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
- ^ "Es chileno: Así es el primer buque rompehielos construido en Sudamérica". GobiernodeChile. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Design of the Chilean Antarctic Vessel Archived 2018-10-28 at the Wayback Machine. Dan McGeer, VARD Marine. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
- ^
Kate Tringham (2018-10-24). "Euronaval 2018: ASMAR ramps up production of new Chilean Navy icebreaker". Jane's Navy International. Paris. Archived from the original on 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
Speaking to Jane's at Euronaval 2018 in Paris, ASMAR shipyard's chief marketing officer, Jorge Terrazas, confirmed that first steel was officially cut in August, marking the start of construction at its Talcahuano facilities in the Biobio region.
- ^
Carolina Contreras (2017-07-20). "Chile Builds Its First Icebreaker Ship". Dialogo Americas. Archived from the original on 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
'Antártica 1 will have greater capabilities for supporting high-level, onboard scientific activities which will allow it to break from the seasonality of scientific work, accessing data in real time, and analyzing the results obtained while underway,' Retamales said. 'It will have modern, hydroacoustic equipment, such as echo sounding, sonar, an ocean floor profiler, a current profiler, and a high-precision acoustic positioning system. It will also be outfitted with biology, microbiology, and chemistry labs, and it will have the means for collecting, storing, and preserving water samples and samples from the seabed, with the capacity provided by modern and spacious refrigeration chambers,' he added.
- ^
"Chile plans to build a new icebreaker and has earmarked an initial 150 million". South Atlantic News Agency. 2014-12-09. Archived from the original on 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
Chilean defense sources said the icebreaker project to replace the 6.500 ton Almirante Viel include an initial budget of 150 million dollars and building the new 8.000 ton ice breaker with foreign technical assistance in local shipyard Asmar. Meanwhile, Marinero Fuentealba, an 1,800-ton offshore patrol vessel with reinforced hull for polar operations, is being completed by ASMAR for commissioning in August.
- ^
"Chile cuts steel for its new 13.000 tons icebreaker to be operational in 2022/23". South Atlantic News Agency. 2017-05-11. Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
Chilean president Michelle Bachelet cut the first sheet of steel for the construction of the country's new icebreaker which is expected to be operational for the 2022/23 Antarctic season, replacing the ageing Almirante Oscar Viel.
- ^
"Chile Moves Forward with New Icebreaker". Maritime Executive. 2016-02-01. Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
The new vessel, to be delivered in 2021, will rival Argentina's 15,000 ton displacement Almirante Irizar, presently the largest icebreaker in South America.