Protacon Renovates the Automation and Electric Systems of the Legendary Icebreaker Urho
HELSINKI, Finland, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
- More reliability and a longer lifespan to a special vessel
Finnish technology design and service enterprise Protacon, who specializes in integrated automation solutions, will renovate the automation and electric systems of the legendary icebreaker Urho. The maintenance of the soon to be modernized flagship of the Finnish icebreaker fleet will be easier thanks to the availability of the spare parts of the new electric and automation systems. Furthermore the vessel will improve importantly its lifespan. Protacon was chosen for its technically high quality performance solutions and for offering the most cost efficient package.
The modernization work the icebreaker Urho will undergo is the largest ever done to the ship. It will take c. four years of men labour and it will start immediately. The renovation work will concentrate in the renewal of the automation and electric systems. This includes among other things a new machinery alarm system, the protection, excitation systems, and power management of the auxiliary engines, DC drives of the propulsion, the modernization of the fire alarm system, the remote measuring system of the tanks and draft. Also the maintenance of the motors and generators was part of the package.
'The renovation had to be done, as it is not possible to get spare parts for the old systems anymore; this is a risk to the security of the ship. Urho will gain a significantly longer lifespan with its modernization,' says Mr. Kai Valtari, business director of Arctia Icebreaking Ltd, owner of Urho.
The wide-range know-how of Protacon won the project to them
Protacon won the tendering of the modernization of the icebreaker thanks to its wide-range know-how. The enterprise has accumulated during the years its know-how with multiple industrial automation operations and with years of being a supplier of operating system solutions. In addition, when choosing the contractor its capacity to carry the responsibility of the whole project in the automation and electrification processes was considered vital.
'We especially liked the technical ensemble offered by Protacon. Protacon's offer was the most cost efficient in the tendering and it took best in account the whole of the systems of the ship as well as our needs. Protacon's know-how on the complex industrial DC- operation applications convinced us,' tells Mr. Valtari.
'A deep knowledge on automation and electric operations has always been our strength. Our know-how is not limited to mobile or immobile environments. We can offer the market an extremely competitive modernization solution for the renovation of the automation and electrical systems of special ships, because our activity is more flexible than that of our competitors', says the CEO of Protacon Ltd, Mr. Kari Pellinen.
A legendary ship
Compared to its predecessors, icebreaker Urho was at the time of its construction an exponent of highly advanced technology and it, actually, still is part of the elite of the icebreakers in the Baltic Sea. During Urho's design and before the construction of the ship, for the first time in the world the designers made ice simulations with miniatures owning the qualities of an icebreaker. Since Urho started functioning in March 1975 all Finnish winter harbours have been accessible even in the iciest winters.
Protacon Ltd is part of the Protacon Group. Arctia Icebreaking Ltd is part of the Arctia Corporation.
Protacon is a technology design and service corporation, that generates solutions in projects, production and maintenance. Protacon's activity is divided into industrial design services, information technology, software development and building technology services. The revenue of the companies belonging to the corporation is in 2012 around 15 million euros with a staff of 200 people. The group's headquarters are in Jyväskylä, but there are agencies in nine other districts in Finland. Protacon's clients include amongst others: Metso Paper, Andritz, Raute, UPM-Kymmene, Vapo, Fortum, Koenig & Bauer Group (KBA), K1-Katsastajat, Valtra, Valueframe, Cargotec and several public institutions in Finland, including Finnish National Board of Education.
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