Chilean icebreaker Almirante Viel

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. She was classed by Lloyd's Register. Maritime Executive reported in 2016 that she would be comparable to Argentina's.
The ship was launched 22 December 2022.
In April 2024, the ship completed its first round of sea trials.

Design

Almirante Viel is long overall and has a beam of and draft of. She displaces. 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. Her ice class, Polar Class 5, is intended for year-round operation in medium first-year ice which may include old ice inclusions.
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. The engines meet International Maritime Organization Tier III emission limits for nitrogen oxides without the use of selective catalytic reduction. Her two fixed pitch propellers, each driven by a electric propulsion motor, give Almirante Viel speed of and range of in open water, and ability to break level ice at a continuous speed of. For maneuvering and dynamic positioning, she has a bow thruster.