Chilean icebreaker Almirante Viel
{{Short description|Chilean Navy Icebreaker ship}}
| {{Infobox ship begin
| infobox caption = | display title = }} {{Infobox ship image | Ship image = Almirante Viel At Mulle Prat.jpg | Ship image size = 300px | Ship caption = Icebreaker Almirante Viel at its home port in Punta Arenas }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship country = Chile | Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Chile|Naval}} | Ship name = Almirante Viel{{cite web|url=https://polarjournal.ch/en/2022/12/23/launch-of-chiles-first-self-built-icebreaker/|title=Launch of Chile's first self-built icebreaker|website=PolarJournal|date=23 December 2022|accessdate=25 December 2022}} | Ship namesake = Counter admiral Óscar Viel y Toro | Ship owner = | Ship operator = Chilean Navy | Ship registry = | Ship ordered = 1 November 2017 | Ship builder = ASMAR, Talcahuano | Ship original cost = US$217 million | Ship yard number = 114{{csr|register=SEAWEB|id=9843948|shipname=ASMAR Talcahuano 114|accessdate=24 January 2025}} | Ship laid down = 27 August 2019 | Ship launched = 22 December 2022 | Ship sponsor = | Ship christened = | Ship commissioned = 3 July 2024{{cite web|url=https://www.gob.cl/noticias/primer-buque-rompehielos-construido-sudamerica-almirante-viel-soberania-antartica/|title=Es chileno: Así es el primer buque rompehielos construido en Sudamérica|website=GobiernodeChile|date=3 July 2024|accessdate=5 July 2024}} | Ship maiden voyage = | Ship in service = | Ship homeport = | Ship identification = * {{IMO number|9843948}} | Ship status = In service | Ship notes = }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = [http://akerarctic.fi/sites/default/files/page/fields/field_attachments/02_mcgreer_0.pdf Design of the Chilean Antarctic Vessel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028151817/http://akerarctic.fi/sites/default/files/page/fields/field_attachments/02_mcgreer_0.pdf |date=2018-10-28 }}. Dan McGeer, VARD Marine. {{retrieved|accessdate=2018-10-28}} | Ship type = Icebreaker, research vessel | Ship tonnage = *{{GT|10044}}
| Ship displacement = {{cvt|10400|t|LT}} | Ship length = {{cvt|111|m|ftin}} | Ship beam = {{cvt|21|m|ftin}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = {{cvt|7.2|m|ftin}} | Ship depth = {{cvt|10.6|m|ftin}} | Ship ice class = Polar Class 5 | Ship power = * 2{{nbsp}}×{{nbsp}}Wabtec 16V250MDC
| Ship propulsion = Diesel-electric; two shafts (2{{nbsp}}×{{nbsp}}4.5{{nbsp}}MW) | Ship speed = * {{convert|15|kn|lk=in}} in open water
| Ship range = {{convert|14000|nmi}} | Ship endurance = 60 days | Ship capacity = | Ship crew = Accommodation for 150 | Ship sensors = | Ship aircraft = | Ship aircraft facilities = Helipad and hangar for two medium helicopters of the Super Puma or Cougar type | Ship notes = }} |
Almirante Viel is a Polar Class 5 icebreaker operated by the Chilean Navy.
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. The ship was built at the Chilean shipyard ASMAR.{{cite web | last=Maritime | first=Baird | title=Almirante Viel – Chilean Navy icebreaker to support Antarctic research efforts | website=Baird Maritime / Work Boat World | date=2024-12-03 | url=https://www.bairdmaritime.com/work-boat-world/icebreaking/vessel-review-almirante-viel-chilean-navy-icebreaker-to-support-antarctic-research-efforts | access-date=2025-01-23}} She was classed by Lloyd's Register. Maritime Executive reported in 2016 that she would be comparable to Argentina's {{ship|ARA|Almirante Irízar}}.
The ship was launched 22 December 2022.{{cite web | author=The Maritime Executive | title=Video: Chile Launches the First Icebreaker Built in South America | website=The Maritime Executive | date=2022-12-26 | url=https://maritime-executive.com/article/video-chile-launches-the-first-icebreaker-built-in-south-america | access-date=2025-01-23}}
In April 2024, the ship completed its first round of sea trials.{{cite web | author=The Maritime Executive | title=Chile's New Icebreaker Prepares to Enter into Service | website=The Maritime Executive | date=2024-04-28 | url=https://maritime-executive.com/article/chile-s-new-icebreaker-prepares-to-enter-into-service | access-date=2025-01-23}}
Design
Almirante Viel is {{convert|111|m|ftin}} long overall and has a beam of {{convert|21|m|ftin}} and draft of {{convert|7.2|m|ftin}}. She displaces {{convert|10400|t|LT}}. She has accommodation for 150 crew and passengers such as scientists and researchers.
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.{{cite web|url=https://iacs.s3.af-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/12082657/uri-1.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620102507/http://www.iacs.org.uk/document/public/Publications/Unified_requirements/PDF/UR_I_pdf410.pdf|archive-date=20 June 2012|title=Unified Requirements for Polar Class ships|publisher=International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)|date=April 2016|accessdate=16 February 2024}}
Almirante Viel has a diesel-electric propulsion system. 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 {{convert|20.7|MW|hp}}. The engines meet International Maritime Organization Tier III emission limits for nitrogen oxides without the use of selective catalytic reduction.{{cite web|url=https://www.marinsa.com/es/press/almirante-viel-selects-wabtec-imo-tier-iii/|title=Almirante Viel selects Wabtec IMO Tier III|website=Marinsa International|accessdate=24 January 2025}} Her two fixed pitch propellers, each driven by a {{convert|4.5|MW|hp|adj=on}} electric propulsion motor, give Almirante Viel speed of {{convert|15|kn|lk=in}} and range of {{convert|14000|nmi}} in open water, and ability to break {{convert|1|m|ft|adj=on}} level ice at a continuous speed of {{convert|3|kn}}. For maneuvering and dynamic positioning, she has a {{convert|2|MW|adj=on}} bow thruster.
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite news
| url = http://en.mercopress.com/2014/12/09/chile-plans-to-build-a-new-icebreaker-and-has-earmarked-an-initial-150-million
| title = Chile plans to build a new icebreaker and has earmarked an initial 150 million
| work = South Atlantic News Agency
| date = 2014-12-09
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150628141421/http://en.mercopress.com/2014/12/09/chile-plans-to-build-a-new-icebreaker-and-has-earmarked-an-initial-150-million
| archivedate = 2015-06-28
| accessdate = 2018-10-25
| url-status = live
| quote = 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.
}}
{{cite news
|url = https://dialogo-americas.com/en/articles/chile-builds-its-first-icebreaker-ship
|title = Chile Builds Its First Icebreaker Ship
|work = Dialogo Americas
|author = Carolina Contreras
|date = 2017-07-20
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064602/https://dialogo-americas.com/en/articles/chile-builds-its-first-icebreaker-ship
|archivedate = 2018-10-26
|accessdate = 2018-10-25
|url-status = live
|quote = {{'}}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.
}}
{{cite news
| url = http://en.mercopress.com/2017/05/11/chile-cuts-steel-for-its-new-13.000-tons-icebreaker-to-be-operational-in-2022-23
| title = Chile cuts steel for its new 13.000 tons icebreaker to be operational in 2022/23
| work = South Atlantic News Agency
| date = 2017-05-11
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170511161828/http://en.mercopress.com/2017/05/11/chile-cuts-steel-for-its-new-13.000-tons-icebreaker-to-be-operational-in-2022-23
| archivedate = 2017-05-11
| accessdate = 2018-10-25
| url-status = live
| quote = 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.
}}
{{cite news
|url = https://santiagotimes.cl/2017/05/15/chile-constructing-new-217-million-icebreaker/
|title = Chile cuts steel for its new 13.000 tons icebreaker
|work = Santiago Times
|date = 2017-05-15
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20181026032115/https://santiagotimes.cl/2017/05/15/chile-constructing-new-217-million-icebreaker/
|archivedate = 2018-10-26
|accessdate = 2018-10-25
|url-status = live
|quote = The vessel is scheduled to be completed within four years at a cost of USD217 million, according to the Chilean Ministry of Defense.
}}
{{cite news
|url = https://www.janes.com/article/84022/euronaval-2018-asmar-ramps-up-production-of-new-chilean-navy-icebreaker
|title = Euronaval 2018: ASMAR ramps up production of new Chilean Navy icebreaker
|work = Jane's Navy International
|author = Kate Tringham
|date = 2018-10-24
|location = Paris
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20181025185948/https://www.janes.com/article/84022/euronaval-2018-asmar-ramps-up-production-of-new-chilean-navy-icebreaker
|archivedate = 2018-10-25
|accessdate = 2018-10-25
|url-status = live
|quote = 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.
}}
{{cite news
| url = https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/chile-moves-forward-with-new-icebreaker
| title = Chile Moves Forward with New Icebreaker
| work = Maritime Executive
| date = 2016-02-01
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160202115126/https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/chile-moves-forward-with-new-icebreaker
| archivedate = 2016-02-02
| accessdate = 2018-10-25
| url-status = live
| quote = 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.
}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Almirante Viel}}