The steel plates will be used in the construction of the first Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) icebreaker being built for the United States Coast Guard. Construction of the ASC vessel officially began during a steel-cutting ceremony held on Tuesday, June 23. The train shipment arriving now is the first major single delivery containing steel plates for the vessel’s initial production blocks.
“This is an excellent example of the Finnish industrial ecosystem operating at its best. The two ASC icebreakers being built for the United States by Helsinki Shipyard and Sata Shipbuilding will be completed in Finland using Finnish shipbuilding and steel expertise, supported by a strong domestic supply chain,” says Niko Suomela, CEO of Sata Shipbuilding.
Rail Transport Reduces Emissions and Improves Predictability
The delivery also marks a significant milestone in the development of logistics at the Mäntyluoto shipyard. The reactivated rail connection improves supply chain efficiency and reduces the environmental impact of transportation as an increasing share of deliveries is shifted to rail.
Transporting steel by rail enables large shipments to be moved efficiently with lower emissions. A single 800-tonne steel delivery would correspond to approximately twenty heavy truckloads if transported by road. Moving the shipment from road transport to rail results in a reduction of more than 9,500 kilograms of CO₂ equivalent emissions.
“Using rail transport significantly reduces heavy truck traffic to the shipyard and improves the predictability of deliveries. At the same time, we are able to substantially reduce emissions from logistics,” says Minna Easton, Purchasing Director at Sata Shipbuilding.
Source: Sata Shipbuilding
