[4] Botnica is used as an escort icebreaker in the Baltic Sea during the winter months and it carries out subsea and offshore construction works worldwide during the open water season.

[8][14] Since Botnica acts as an escort icebreaker during the winter season, she is also equipped with a 210-ton Aquamaster-Rauma towing winch and stern notch for assisting merchant ships.

[8] Botnica is powered by six engine-generator-engine sets consisting of twelve 51.8-litre (3,160-cubic-inch) Caterpillar 3512B V12 high-speed diesel engines, each with an output of 1,258 kW (1,687 hp), driving six ABB generators.

The ship was originally designed for six bigger Wärtsilä generating sets, but the lower initial acquisition cost of the Caterpillars resulted in the very unusual engine arrangement.

The two 5 MW Azipod VI1600A units considerably improve the maneuverability of the icebreaker — the tactical diameter of the turning circle in open water is less than the overall length of the ship.

As a result, the existing icebreakers had an effective operational time of only three to five months per year and spent the summer season moored at Katajanokka in Helsinki.

A multipurpose application of the new icebreakers would thus result in a better utilization of the vessels and, assuming they were chartered by a commercial third party during the summer, improve the economics of the state-owned fleet.

The concept was developed by the Board of Navigation together with a Finnish consulting engineering company ILS and the contract for the construction of the first vessel with an option for a sister ship was signed with Finnyards in October 1991.

[18] The 116-metre (381 ft) ships had large open aft decks similar to platform supply vessels and their two 7,500 kW diesel-electric Aquamaster Z-drive azimuth thrusters provided dynamic positioning capability.

Its summer tasks were planned in cooperation with DSND Offshore AS, and the discussion led to the conclusion that this type of vessel could be used as a cost-effective alternative to semi-submersible platforms for North Sea operators.

The new light well intervention and slim hole drilling tasks brought in extra safety requirements, including explosion proof main deck arrangement and A-class bulkhead against deckhouse and lifesaving equipment because of a blow out risk.

[19] In February 1997 the Finnish National Board of Navigation signed a contract worth FIM 303 million with Finnyards for the construction of a new multipurpose icebreaker.

[2] Also designed by ILS, the new vessel resembles the older Finnish multipurpose icebreakers, but is slightly smaller, less powerful and has open-propeller Azipod units instead of Aquamasters with ducted propellers as the latter had proved to be problematic in ice.

Once icebreaker assistance was no longer needed, the offshore construction equipment was re-installed and the vessel left the Baltic Sea for the summer season.

[22] Later she also received charters from other companies, but the particularly poor season in 2008–2009 left Botnica laid up for months and forced Finstaship to reduce costs and even consider laying off some employees.

According to Arctia Shipping, the newest state-owned icebreaker was sold because the company has been unable to find profitable long-term charters for the multipurpose vessel.

[37] In December 2023, Baffinland Iron Mines called options to extend the five-year framework agreement to cover the 2023 shipping season and to shorten the charter.

[38] In June 2023, Botnica was chartered by Equinor for 40 days with a 10-day extension option to support offshore wind farm maintenance work in the United Kingdom.

Botnica operates at different draughts depending on her mission, and when returning to Finland from abroad her true main dimensions were found out to be different from those stated in the ship's documentation.

[8] While Botnica has also been praised for her seakeeping characteristics,[52] in open water operations the multipurpose icebreakers have not been competitive against purpose-built offshore vessels due to their higher fuel consumption.

[60][61] Unable to compete commercially against purpose-built offshore vessels, the multipurpose icebreakers would be the last ones to be hired unless they were offered at significantly reduced day rates.

[63] Botnica and the other Finnish multipurpose icebreakers are sometimes jokingly referred to as "Moulinex ships" after the French brand of household appliances and kitchen equipment.