GeoLocation
Tommi Hakala is working as lead designer in HVAC at Helsinki Shipyard’s Turku office, coordinating engineering across vessel projects and linking his discipline with project management and production. He is currently involved in the yard’s Arctic Security Cutter program for the United States, after a nearly 20-year career that included ship design consultancies, power plant engineering and subcontractor coordination.
Helsinki Shipyard has built up a Turku design office with more than 40 professionals in less than two years, after setting it up in 2024. The office now handles machinery, HVAC, electrical, interior, hull and deck outfitting work for the yard’s projects, while the wider design organisation totals around 160 people.
Sata Shipbuilding has started construction of the first Arctic Security Cutter icebreaker for the United States Coast Guard in Pori. The first two vessels in the five-ship program will be built at Helsinki Shipyard with Sata support, with delivery of the first ship due in 2028.
Hull assembly has begun in Helsinki for Polar Max, the Canadian icebreaker commissioned by the Government of Canada. The vessel started construction in August 2025 and will have its completed hull finished at Davie Shipbuilding’s yard in Québec in 2030.
ABB has secured a contract to supply the complete electric power and propulsion package for Polar Max, the new 22,800-tonne icebreaker being built for the Canadian Coast Guard. The vessel is being constructed by Helsinki Shipyard in Finland and Davie Shipbuilding in Quebec and is expected to enter service by 2030.
Rauma Marine Constructions used a roundtable this week to pitch electric ships and a new “energy as a service” model to shipping companies. The yard said the approach could cut investment in batteries and port charging infrastructure, while shortening delivery times by a third if ships are completed to launching stage in a factory.
Helsinki Shipyard has selected PipeCloud for a digital system to manage pipe prefabrication at the yard in Helsinki. The agreement is tied to the yard’s ramp-up under Davie ownership, with managing director Kim Salmi saying the platform will help with precision, speed and control.