Government and research vessels

We have an extensive and multi-decade experience of building and maintaining vessels for the defence forces and authorities.

Over the years, a significant portion of Finnish governmental vessels have been built and serviced at the Rauma shipyard. The list includes all multi-purpose icebreakers and large patrol vessels. Also, all large Finnish Navy combat vessels commissioned since 1990 have been constructed at Rauma.

Furthermore, several research vessels have also been constructed at Rauma. This includes the Polar Class 5 supply and research vesel S.A. Agulhas II which was constructed for the Department of Environmental Affairs of South Africa in 2014. In March 2022, the research team operating on the vessel discovered the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary ship Endurance which sank in 1915.

Government and research vessels built in Rauma

Rauma Marine Constructions has been gathering research information from the ship together with Aalto University for over ten seasons. This includes information on conditions, ice thickness and its mechanical qualities, data on vibrations and noises, and information on how the ice and the ship interact in extreme ice conditions. S.A. Agulhas II is the only ship in the world to have results for ice model tests, full-scale data on ice trials in the Gulf of Bothnia, and long-term measurements from Antarctica over ten seasons.

1990

Kurki – Finnish Border Guard

Rauma-class (Rauma, Raahe, Porvoo, Naantali) – Finnish Navy

1991–1992

Hämeenmaa-class (Hämeenmaa, Uusimaa) – Finnish Navy

1998–2006

Hamina-class (Hamina, Tornio, Hanko, Pori) – Finnish Navy

2003

ACV Tuuli – Finnish Navy

2012

RV Mirabilis – Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Namibia

S.A. Agulhas II – Department of Environmental Affairs of South Africa

2014

Turva – Finnish Border Guard

Watch short documentary about SA Agulhas II

2019: Squadron 2020

In September 2016, Rauma Marine Constructions and the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command signed a letter of intent for the construction of four Squadron 2020 corvettes in Rauma. The final contract for the vessels was signed in September 2019.

The new corvettes will replace seven outgoing Finnish Navy vessels. The corvettes will be able to ward off both surface vessels and submarines, conduct anti-aircraft defence measures and lead maritime operations.

The corvettes will be built safely indoors. For this, RMC has invested EUR 26 million in a multipurpose construction hall which is currently under construction.

More information about the construction hall

2018: Research vessel Aranda

The nearly-30-year-old research vessel Aranda, owned by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), underwent a general overhaul at the RMC shipyard in Rauma beginning at the end of summer 2017. The vessel was handed over in the summer of 2018.

The overhaul was done to ensure that Aranda will be fully operational into the 2030s. During the overhaul, a brand-new block was added to the central section of the vessel. In addition, the vessel’s aft and afterdeck were redesigned. The vessel was extended by 7m in total. This allowed the expansion of research and laboratory facilities and the moving to an entirely electric power transmission which adheres to new standards.

As a result, the overhauled vessel is more environmentally friendly since it can run on biodiesel fuel all year round and make short trips with just battery power. The new battery technology cuts emissions and significantly decreases the noise caused by the vessel, making it easier to study sea life.