Arctia’s icebreaker Polaris departed the icebreaker base in Helsinki as the Finnish icebreaking season’s third icebreaker on Tuesday 15 January 2019. IB Polaris will first head to Tahkoluoto in Pori to bunker Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Once the tanks are full, the Polaris will head to northern Bay of Bothnia and begin assisting vessels.

Icebreaker Otso that departed on 25 December 2018, and icebreaker Kontio that departed on 29 December 2018, already assist vessels in the Bothnian Bay. Both icebreakers will move southwards as the Polaris begins assisting traffic in the Kemi-Tornio region.