Baltika Brewery (Russian: Пивоваренная компания "Балтика") is the largest brewing company in Russia, leader of the Russian beer market with over 38% market share. Its full name is Limited liability company Baltika Breweries. Company headquarters is located in St Petersburg. The Baltika brand was one of the two Russian brands (together with Lukoil) included in the Financial Times Top100 Most Valuable Global Brands list in 2007. However, Baltika did not enter this ranking in 2009. The Baltika brand is one of the top-three brands in the Interbrand Best Global Brands 2012 report.
Baltika Breweries launched production in St Petersburg in 1990. After the privatization in 1992 the company was reorganized into an open joint stock company. In 1993 Baltic Beverages Holding brewing concern became company's largest shareholder. In 1998 the name of the enterprise was changed to Open Joint Stock Company Baltika Breweries. 2000 saw the opening of the largest Soufflet Malting Plant in Russia built by Baltika in St Petersburg together with the French company "Groupe Soufflet". The French partners invested approx. $35 million in the project and received 70% ownership of the plant. Baltika covered the rest of the expenses and received 30% of the shares.
Baltika is a Russian icebreaker built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland. She is the first ship ever built with an asymmetric hull that allows her to operate not only ahead and astern, but also obliquely (sideways) with a large angle of attack. In this way, the relatively small oblique icebreaker is capable of opening a wide channel in ice for large merchant ships.
The vessel was initially scheduled for delivery to FGI Gosmorspassluzhba, the Russian Marine Emergency Rescue Service, in early 2014. However, she remained moored at Kaliningrad until late 2014, when the vessel was towed to St. Petersburg, and was finally accepted to service in December 2014.
The development of the oblique icebreaker concept dates back to 1997, when the engineers at Kværner Masa-Yards Arctic Technology Centre (MARC) came up with a new way of assisting large tankers in ice-infested waters. Traditionally, escorting large ships up to 40 metres (130 ft) wide required two conventional icebreakers with a beam of 23–25 metres (75–82 ft), a practice that was not very efficient and economical. The solution was a triangle-shaped vessel with three azimuth thrusters in the "corners" pushing the asymmetric hull with a 50-degree angle of attack—almost sideways—in ice to open a 50-metre (160 ft) channel behind the vessel. Model tests in an ice tank showed that the proposed concept was feasible and the concept was patented. The development of the oblique icebreaker as continued by MARC and its successor, Aker Arctic, together with ABB and the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes). The result was a vessel concept referred to as Aker ARC 100, an oblique icebreaker that could also be used for oil spill response operations.
Shit sticks to false teeth and
your mouth is full of nothing.
With your mouth so full of shit,
I can't understand a word you're saying.
Sever the arm to save the body,