Second tourist icebreaker in Kemi

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In Kemi, the construction of a second icebreaker is planned

In Kemi, a second icebreaker is needed to ensure cruises even when the ageing Sampo is no longer in good condition. This also opens up opportunities for new innovative cruise packages.

Kemi Tourism Ltd. wants to secure and expand the icebreaker cruises. The company will hire a second icebreaker, the "Arktis", to operate alongside the "Sampo" in Kemi. The additional equipment is intended both to ensure that the cruises can be carried out and to enable new types of cruise packages. The aim is to double cruise activity in the next few years.

Last winter, the tourist icebreaker Sampo broke down just before the Christmas season. This resulted in a week of sold-out cruises having to be cancelled. As a result, a replacement ship was sent to Kemi and operated for almost a month. In future, such cancellations are to be avoided with the Arktis. The icebreaker Arktis has a total of 177 customer berths.

The icebreaker Sampo, which is over 60 years old, has been in tourist service for 35 years. Maintenance is demanding, but worth it, because Sampo is the world's only A1 Super class passenger icebreaker. Next winter, however, the cruises will continue to be operated mainly with Sampo.

According to Kemi Tourism Ltd., a Sampo cruise is such a unique experience that it could become a luxury product in Lapland. The unique cruise could be developed into a premium product. The new ship would then take over the kind of cruises that Sampo currently masters.

More on the icebreaker Sampo.

Header: © Kemi Tourism Ltd