Helsinki Shipyard: Door Open to Expedition Cruise Ships

Helsinki Shipyard is suddenly busy with icebreakers and defense vessels, but it is keeping the door open to expedition cruise ships. The expertise behind its icebreaker business is also what makes it attractive to expedition operators.

The yard was recently selected to build Finland’s newest icebreaker, the Aino, scheduled for delivery in 2029.

Hull assembly of the Polar Max, a large heavy icebreaker built under a Finland-Canada production model, began at the yard in May 2026. In addition, two Arctic Security Cutters are being built for the U.S. Coast Guard under a $3.5 billion Davie Defense contract, with the first due in 2028.

Operators may wonder where passenger vessels fit into all of this. According to Jussi Lehtinen, vice president of sales and projects, they never went away.

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