Breaking the ice

Finland is dependent on foreign trade – it cannot allow ice to block its shipping lanes and ports, disrupting exports and imports. The country consequently has the world's second largest fleet of icebreakers, the latest of which, called Polaris, was completed just in time for the centenary year of Finland's independence. A crew of 17 works under Captain Pasi Järvelin on the Polaris under rough environmental conditions. To ensure safety on board, this modern vessel is equipped with 29 Bosch HD cameras.

The 29 Bosch HD cameras are located on deck and in the interior.Inside the vessel, they are positioned in locations such as the engine room and engineering space. If necessary, we can retrospectively check the camera recordings. Cameras save time – routine tours of the various parts of the vessel don't need to be conducted as frequently thanks to the cameras." Bosch MIC IP cameras have been installed at locations such as the mast and deck structures. "The exterior cameras allow us to monitor the ice and customer vessels. We can use the cameras located on the stern to monitor changes in our distance to vessels that we are guiding in or out of a port. The vessel may be only a few meters behind the icebreaker or even tethered to the icebreaker if it's being towed," explains Järvelin.

According to Järvelin, the directional cameras also function well in arctic winter conditions on the Bay of Bothnia. At the top of the mast, a 360-degree directional camera is mounted, which also operates flawlessly in darkness. All of the cameras can be controlled remotely and adjusted both horizontally and vertically. Their focusing and zoom features are indispensable in the icebreaker's tough operating environment. The cameras are equipped with wipers that can be actuated from the bridge in adverse weather conditions, whether rain, wind, or sleet.