Finland Times

Helsinki, January 31– Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen promoted a Finnish shipbuilder’s deal for construction of a research vessel with icebreaking facilities for Chilean naval force, an official release said on Wednesday.

During his meeting with Chilean Minister of Defence Rodrigo Hinzpeter in Santiago, the Prime Minister discussed about the STX Rauma Shipyard’s offer to build the research vessel. The STX had submitted the offer to the Chilean government to build the craft at an estimated cost of 100 million Euros.

"Finland has unique expertise in the building of vessels adapted to the Arctic regions and the sort of know-how is not available in many other parts of the world,” said the premier hoping that his country would get the deal.

STX Finland has earlier built a similar kind of vessel for the South Africans.  Defence Minister Hinzpeter informed the premier that Chile was to make a decision on the matter this year, said the government communications department quoting Katainen. 

Chile has decided to purchase a new vessel to operate in the Antarctic. The vessel will be financed by the Chilean Ministry of Defence.

STX Finland is represented in the business delegation accompanying Prime Minister Katainen to Santiago where the delegation had meetings with ministers and business leaders.

Representatives from 23 Finnish companies specialized in, mining industry and energy solutions take part in the Team Finland, a network for promoting Finland and its interests abroad, accompanied the Prime Minister.

"Any deals for the companies will naturally be won on their own merits but, as the Prime Minister of Finland, I am happy to open doors for Finnish businesses through, for example, ministerial level discussions. This is what the Team Finland spirit is all about," said Katainen.