The port explained that the Estonians offered the most favorable terms of the deal and the highest price.
The icebreaker has been on sale for two years now; initially the starting price of the vessel was 1.5 million euros.
The icebreaker’s technical specifications indicate that it was built in 1983 in Finland. The gross tonnage of the Foros (gross tonnage) is 3122, net tonnage is 934. The vessel has a total length of 71.6 m and a beam of 18 m.
“Foros” flew under the flag of the USSR, and then under the flag of the Russian Federation.
At the end of 2013, the icebreaker in Murmansk was bought by Latvia.
In the winter of 2013, the ship arrived in Riga, but it did not meet the technical requirements established by the Latvian Maritime Administration. It was necessary to do major repairs, and only in August 2019 the icebreaker received a five-year permit from the maritime administration to sail in Latvian waters.
The purchase of Foros cost the port of Riga 1.2 million US dollars. In addition, according to the port’s estimates, major repairs, which lasted several years, cost another 1.3 million euros until the ship was ready to sail.
Currently, the port of Riga plans to purchase a new ice-class vessel with hybrid engines instead of Foros. Such a watercraft on today’s market can cost regarding 7 million euros. The European Union promises to give half of the money.
However, given the catastrophic drop in the port’s cargo turnover, as well as global warming (the last time the Gulf of Riga froze was in 2011), the need to buy your own icebreaker today seems like an excess that can be completely avoided.
#crush #ice #port #Riga #sold #Latvian #icebreaker #Foros #Estonians
2024-04-22 21:52:34
