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''Aiviq'' is an American icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) owned by Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO). The $200 million vessel was built in 2012 by North American Shipbuilding in Larose, Louisiana and LaShip in Houma, Louisiana. She has been chartered by Royal Dutch Shell to support oil exploration and drilling in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska.〔 The primary task of the vessel is towing and laying anchors for drilling rigs, but she is also equipped for oil spill response.〔 ((mirror )) 〕〔 ((mirror ))〕 ==Construction== In July 2009, Edison Chouest Offshore won a $150 million contract for the construction of an icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel for Royal Dutch Shell. The vessel, largest ever built by the company, would be used to support Shell's drilling operations in the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea off Alaska.〔(Chouest scores new icebreaker contract ). dailycomet.com, 22 July 2009. 〕 In January 2010, it was announced that the vessel would be constructed in Louisiana. The hull and the superstructure would be built in the company's own shipyard North American Shipbuilding in Larose in two separate units while the final assembly of the vessel would take place at LaShip, also owned by Edison Chouest, in Houma. In all, the construction would take just over two years and provide work for about 800 people.〔(Icebreaker to be built locally ). dailycomet.com, 22 January 2010. 〕 Laid down on 3 February 2010,〔 the newbuilding "Hull 247" was presented to Shell executives on 30 September 2011. By then, the price of the vessel had climbed to $200 million due to material and equipment factors, such as the price of steel.〔(Shell execs get glimpse of 'all new' icebreaker ship design ). WWLTV, 1 October 2011. 〕〔(Shell hopes to break the ice on Arctic drilling ). Chron, 30 September 2011. 〕 The vessel was launched on 1 November 2011.〔 According to Edison Chouest spokesman Gary Chouest, ''"It () will be the world's largest and most powerful anchor-handling icebreaker."''〔 In 2011, Shell invited Inupiak schoolchildren to submit essays suggesting names for the vessel. Twelve-year-old Elizabeth Itta submitted the winning essay, describing how the Walrus, "Aiviq" in the Inupiak language, use their tusks to break ice. She won a cash prize for her school and an invitation to attend the ship's launching ceremony on 24 March 2012.〔 ((mirror ))〕〔(USA: Edison Chouest Offshore Shipyard Christens Shell’s New Icebreaker Aiviq ). ShipbuildingTribune.com, 26 March 2012. 〕 The vessel went for sea trials in April and was delivered on 20 April 2012.〔〔(Giant ice-class AHTS on sea trials following completion by Chouest ). MarineLog, 1 April 2012. 〕 The construction of the new icebreaker and Shell's Arctic drilling operation off Alaska raised concerns about the ability of the United States Coast Guard to operate in ice-infested waters since at the time the Coast Guard had only one operational icebreaker, USCGC ''Healy''.〔(Shell-Led Arctic Push Finds U.S. Shy in Icebreakers: Energy ). Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 18 July 2012. 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aiviq」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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