Chilean icebreaker Almirante Viel

Almirante Viel is a Polar Class 5 icebreaker operated by the Chilean Navy.^[6][7][8]

Icebreaker Almirante Viel at its home port in Punta Arenas
History
Chile
Name	Almirante Viel[1]
Namesake	Counter admiral Óscar Viel y Toro
Operator	Chilean Navy
Ordered	1 November 2017[2]
Builder	ASMAR, Talcahuano
Cost	US$217 million[3]
Yard number	114[2]
Laid down	27 August 2019[2]
Launched	22 December 2022[1]
Commissioned	3 July 2024[4]
Identification	IMO number: 9843948 MMSI number: 725005198[2]
Status	In service
General characteristics [5][2]
Type	Icebreaker, research vessel
Tonnage	10,044 GT 3,013 NT 4,088 DWT
Displacement	10,400 t (10,200 long tons)
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	2 × Wabtec 16V250MDC 2 × Wabtec 6L250MDC 20.7 MW (27,800 hp) (combined)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric; two shafts (2 × 4.5 MW)
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) in open water 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) in 1 m (3.3 ft) ice
Range	14,000 nautical miles (26,000 km; 16,000 mi)
Endurance	60 days
Crew	Accommodation for 150
Aviation facilities	Helipad and hangar for two medium helicopters of the Super Puma or Cougar type

History

Previously referred to with the project name Antartica 1, it replaced 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.^[3][9] The ship was built at the Chilean shipyard ASMAR.^[10] She was classed by Lloyd's Register.^[10] Maritime Executive reported in 2016 that she would be comparable to Argentina's ARA Almirante Irízar.^[11]

The ship was launched 22 December 2022.^[12]

In April 2024, the ship completed its first round of sea trials.^[13]

Design

Almirante Viel is 111 metres (364 ft 2 in) long overall and has a beam of 21 metres (68 ft 11 in) and draft of 7.2 metres (23 ft 7 in). She displaces 10,400 tonnes (10,200 long tons).^[2] She has accommodation for 150 crew and passengers such as scientists and researchers.^[3]

Almirante Viel is strengthened for navigation in ice in accordance with the Unified Requirements for Polar Class Ships developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). Her ice class, Polar Class 5, is intended for year-round operation in medium first-year ice which may include old ice inclusions.^[5][14]

Almirante Viel has a diesel-electric propulsion system.^[2] Her power plant consists of four medium-speed diesel generators: two sixteen-cylinder Wabtec 16V250MDC and two six-cylinder Wabtec 6L250MDC units. The total rating of the power plant is 20.7 megawatts (27,800 hp). The engines meet International Maritime Organization Tier III emission limits for nitrogen oxides without the use of selective catalytic reduction.^[15] Her two fixed pitch propellers, each driven by a 4.5-megawatt (6,000 hp) electric propulsion motor, give Almirante Viel speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) and range of 14,000 nautical miles (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) in open water, and ability to break 1-metre (3.3 ft) level ice at a continuous speed of 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph). For maneuvering and dynamic positioning, she has a 2-megawatt (2,700 hp) bow thruster.^[2][5]