Arctia (company)


Arctia Oy is Finnish state-owned company responsible for operating a Finnish icebreaker fleet. The company was established as Arctia Shipping Oy in 2010 when Finnish icebreaking services were incorporated. The name of the parent company was changed to Arctia Oy on 18 January 2016. It has following subsidiaries: Arctia Icebreaking Oy, Arctia Offshore Oy, Arctia Karhu Oy, and Arctia Management Services Oy. Arctia has a floating office next to the icebreaker base at Katajanokka in Helsinki. The company plays a central role in maintaining winter maritime accessibility in the Baltic Sea, where seasonal ice conditions significantly affect commercial shipping and national logistics.
Arctia provides icebreaking services for Finnish Transport Agency during winter as well as for private companies in the offshore gas- and oilfields. Icebreaking operations are considered a strategic public service in Finland, where up to 90% of foreign trade depends on maritime transport that must remain operational during winter months.
In 2013 Antti Viirtala, the chairman of the company resigned because of scandal related to the sponsorships of his own curling club.

History

Arctia was formed as part of a broader restructuring of Finland's maritime services, separating commercial shipping functions from state icebreaking operations in order to improve cost transparency and operational efficiency.

Greenpeace case

In 2012 a group of Greenpeace activists got onboard icebreakers Fennica and Nordica and demanded that the company stops helping Royal Dutch Shell to drill oil in the Arctic Ocean. Arctia Shipping decided to make a criminal complaint in spite of the will of Minister Heidi Hautala who was responsible for the corporate governance of Arctia Shipping. Hautala's office threatened to fire the management in case that they disobliged.
In October 2013 Hautala decided to resign when the case became public.
The incident sparked a broader public debate in Finland regarding the responsibilities of state-owned enterprises operating in environmentally sensitive regions, particularly when commercial contracts conflict with national climate policy objectives.
As a fully state-owned enterprise, Arctia operates under Finland's state ownership steering model, which requires balancing commercial viability with public policy objectives, including environmental responsibility and national transport security.