Railo Technology Inc

08/09/2026

Before Sweden's next-generation icebreaker takes to the ice, she existed only as scale models gliding through Railotech's ice tank in Finland.

Four concept alternatives were built and tested this way - hull form, propulsion, and all - with three pushed further into real ice conditions and open water trials in Sweden. The chosen propulsion concept was then put to a full-scale test aboard the Finnish icebreaker Polaris - which already uses the same triple-azimuth arrangement - with engineers from both the Swedish Maritime Administration and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency on board to watch it work.

"Ice model testing is a highly cost-efficient way to verify that a design meets customer requirements before construction begins," says Chief Designer Tuomas Romu.

From a scale model in a test tank to a 126-metre ship now under construction - that's the journey.

https://railotech.fi/article/swedens-next-generation-icebreaker-takes-shape/

28/08/2026

Two teams, one stand. This September, Railotech and Bluetech Finland will appear together at SMM Hamburg for the very first time as sister companies.

It's a small but meaningful moment - a year after joining forces, the engineering crews from both companies will be sharing the same space at one of the world's biggest maritime shows.

You'll find us at Hall B4.EG, Stand 206, from 1 to 4 September. If you're heading to Hamburg, stop by and say hello - bring your questions, or just come for a chat.

21/08/2026

To an outside observer, an ice model test might look like a quick, straightforward procedure. Research engineer Toni Skogström knows better - behind every test day is weeks of planning.

Each ice sheet is prepared to Toni's own custom recipe, adjusted for the thickness, strength, and elasticity a specific test needs, and calibrated using years of data from past ice fields. Only once the measurements check out does testing begin, running all day across tests like level ice, brash ice channels, and ridges, before two team members stay behind to prepare tomorrow's sheet.

"Then, the next model testing series is already lined up, and before you know it, months have passed," Toni says.

It's meticulous work, but Toni wouldn't trade it. "Our great team and work community are also the best parts of working at Aker Arctic," he adds.

https://railotech.fi/article/every-ice-model-test-requires-detailed-planning/

14/08/2026

Before Railo Technology Inc and Bluetech Finland became one company, they were already old collaborators - having worked together on vessels like Ponant's polar cruise ship Le Commandant Charcot and the ice-classed tanker Boris Sokolov.

Bluetech started small in 2013, built around one ambitious idea: the world's most energy-efficient bulk carrier. Mikko Hakulinen joined that year as a summer trainee. Today, as Director of Engineering, he leads a company that's grown into a 100-strong international design office - and, since 2025, part of the Railotech family.

"The depth of know-how behind their icebreaker designs is remarkable," Hakulinen says of Railotech.

Two companies, one shared belief in building ships properly, now working as one team of around 150.

https://railotech.fi/article/building-the-next-chapter-of-icebreaker-design/

07/08/2026

Six years ago, Juuso Lindroos was a summer intern trying to figure out what a career in "strength of materials" would actually look like. Today, he's the project manager behind some of the company's most exciting vessels.

His path took him from calculating propulsion strength and shaft lines to leading project teams — working on Le Commandant Charcot, Ponant's glamorous icebreaking cruise ship, Finland's Squadron 2020 corvettes, and most recently an ice-going service vessel for offshore wind farms.

"Icebreaking is not the most important feature; it's just something that has to work impeccably," Juuso says of the projects he's worked on.

What he enjoys most, six years in? Still the same thing: new projects, and new people to meet along the way.

https://railotech.fi/article/from-internship-to-full-time-position/

31/07/2026

Aaron Tam grew up watching the sea from New York City, dreaming of icy, remote places. Today he's a naval architect in Helsinki, working on some of the world's most advanced icebreakers.
His path took him through a Nordic Master's programme, a stint living on Svalbard, and eventually to Railotech (formerly Aker Arctic), where he's spent years helping design vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard, among others.

Helsinki isn't short on trade-offs for a native New Yorker: Broadway swapped for swing dancing nights, city lights for forest walks and mushroom picking. Aaron says he's always preferred the cold anyway.

"It feels very good to be in Finland and part of such a renowned company with a long history of designing, in my opinion, the most fascinating ships," he says.

From NYC to the Finnish forest — some journeys make perfect sense once you hear the whole story.

23/07/2026

Behind every ice model test result - every data point that informs a hull form decision, validates a propulsion concept, or confirms a vessel's performance before a single tonne of steel is cut - there is a small workshop team in Helsinki whose work makes the test possible.

Since the first ice model basin was established in 1969 - then part of the Wärtsilä shipyard - every vessel model used in the basin has been numbered. The most recent is number 561. Every one of them is custom-made.

The core team responsible for model preparation is four people: Tomi Auvinen and Ville Kuivainen, Model Outfitting Specialists, Henrik Strand, Measurement Engineer, and Topi Leiviskä, Team Leader. The basic hull form arrives milled by an outside supplier - but everything that turns it into a test-ready model is done in-house. That means applying four distinct surface layers to achieve the correct friction coefficient between model and ice; installing the electric motors, propulsion units, and instrumentation to each test's specific requirements; and placing weights inside the hull to achieve the correct draught, trim, and stability. The team also prepares the ice sheet itself, mixed to a specific recipe before each test.

That last detail matters more than it might appear. As Henrik puts it: "For every ice sheet, there is only one opportunity to perform the test, so everything must be perfect once it begins."

Smaller components - pod covers, rudders, ice knifes, bilge keels - are now produced with a 3D printer and finished in the workshop. The precision and craft behind each model remain unchanged across more than five decades.

More than 700 model test series. Four people preparing every model. One chance per ice sheet.

https://railotech.fi/article/workshop-team-crafts-vessel-models-for-ice-tests/

14/07/2026

Bloomberg Businessweek described what visitors see when they walk into our Helsinki office: a giant circumpolar map and exquisitely detailed models of the ships.

That is not decoration. It is a statement of intent.

Our Arto Uuskallio put it well in a recent comment on our Canadian Polar Icebreaker post in LinkedIn:

"Designing vessels like this starts with one thing: understanding the environment and how the ship will actually be used. That knowledge doesn't come from the office. It comes from the field, and from the feedback of operators who have worked with earlier vessels and know what the ice demands of a ship and its crew."

The map on the wall is a reminder of where our vessels go. The models are proof that the knowledge gets built into the design.

https://railotech.fi/publications/finland-on-the-front-page-of-bloomberg-businessweek/

10/07/2026

In 2015, a French cruise company came to our Helsinki office with a question: could we design a ship capable of reaching the North Pole - on a regular schedule, with passengers on board?

The first reaction was hesitation.

Then it turned into excitement.

Six years later, Le Commandant Charcot entered the ice for the first time. She has since reached the North Pole every year, transited the Northwest Passage, and in 2024 became the first vessel ever to cross all three North Poles in a single journey. She averages 200 days a year in ice - and she does it while carrying guests to dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant on board.

Some dreams are worth saying yes to. ❄️

https://railotech.fi/article/le-commandant-charcot-from-dream-to-icebreaking-reality/

A Polar Class 2 cruise ship that blends the strength of an icebreaker with the comfort of a luxury liner, charting new courses in some of the most remote regions on Earth.

29/06/2026

It started as an ambitious idea in 2012. It was paused, redesigned, and rebuilt from the ground up. Now it is taking shape in a shipyard in North Vancouver.

The Canadian Coast Guard's new Polar Icebreaker - the most powerful conventional icebreaker Canada has ever built - is under construction, and Railotech has been at the heart of its design from day one.

Our team led every ice and cold-climate aspect of the project: the hull form, the propulsion concept, the structural design, the winterisation systems rated to minus 50°C. Fourteen years, two design phases, and one vessel that will define Canada's Arctic presence for decades to come.

Some projects stay with you. This is one of them. ❄️

https://railotech.fi/article/designing-canadas-next-polar-icebreaker/