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ICE

NAVIGATION

Hot Ice
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ICE NAVIGATION
1. REGULATIONS & VESSELS
2. CLASSIFICATION
&
IDENTIFICATION
3. LOCATION
4. DANGERS
5. PREPARATION
&
PROCEDURES
6. NAVIGATION
&

AURORA AUSTRALIS

1. REGULATIONS & VESSELS


COASTAL STATES CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES
Including Norway, Canada & Russia had
their own Ice Rules
ICSA
Harmonised CSs & established Polar Rules
in August 2006
IMO
Developed Guidelines for Ships operating in
Arctic Ice-covered Waters in 2002, not
including Antarctica

1. REGULATIONS & VESSELS


ICE CLASS SHIP
1. Ice Strengthened Vessel
2. Ice Breaking Merchant Vessel
3. Ice Breaker

ESCORT SHIP
EXTENSIVE REFIT
Reinforcing hull plating, special bow, propeller
shafts, replacing bronze prop with steel, greater
shaft horsepower ratio, etc...

ESCORT SHIP

1. REGULATIONS & VESSELS


POLAR OPERATIONS
ARCTIC CIRCLE OIL & GAS
EXPLORATION
ANTARCTICA CRUISE SHIPS
NORTH WEST PASSAGE
Opened second time summer 2008

ESCORTING FISHING FLEET

2. CLASSIFICATION &
IDENTIFICATION
A: FORMS OF ICE AFFECTING THE MARINER
FLOATING ICE
FRESH WATER ICE - surface of lakes &
rivers
SEA ICE - sea surface
GLACIER ICE - of land origin (glaciers)
FIXED ICE
SEA ICE that has frozen to the coast or the
sea floor in shallow waters

SEA ICE & GLACIER ICE

2. CLASSIFICATION &
IDENTIFICATION

B: SEA ICE FORMATION &


DEVELOPMENT
Sea water with a SG of 1.025 freezes at
-1.9C
1. NEW ICE: 0-10cm thick *
2. YOUNG ICE: 10-30cm thick
3. FIRST YEAR ICE: 30cm 2m
4. OLD ICE: 3m+

2. CLASSIFICATION & IDENTIFICATION


B: SEA ICE FORMATION & DEVELOPMENT
1.
NEW ICE: 0-10cm thick
Soft and pliable, minimal danger.
Oily, matt surface. Slushy with a soup like
consistency.
Spicules, Frazil, Grease, Slush, Shuga, Ice Rind
2. YOUNG ICE: 10-30cm thick
Growing thicker and harder, danger to shipping
increasing.
Spongy white lumps. Circular pieces. Grey in colour.
Nilas, Pancake Ice, Grey Ice

2. CLASSIFICATION &
IDENTIFICATION
B: SEA ICE FORMATION & DEVELOPMENT
3. FIRST YEAR ICE: 30cm-2m thick
Not more than one summers growth.
White in colour.
4.
OLD ICE: 3m+ thick
Survived one summers melt.
All salt has drained out from brine pockets that
have cracked & ice is pure fresh water & very
hard. Smoother than 1st Year Ice & bluey/green
in colour.
The bluer the ice = The older and harder the ice

2. CLASSIFICATION & IDENTIFICATION


C: PACK ICE: Concentration of Sea Ice
1/10 3/10: VERY OPEN PACK ICE
4/10 6/10: OPEN PACK ICE
UP TO 7/10: PACK ICE (still navigable)
7/10 9/10: CLOSE ICE
9/10: VERY CLOSE PACK ICE
10/10: CONSOLIDATED PACK ICE
* Wind causes pressure
Flat Sea Ice <20m length: Ice Cake
>20m length: Floe

2. CLASSIFICATION &
IDENTIFICATION
D: GLACIER ICE FORMATION & DEVELOPMENT
An Ice Sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers
surrounding terrain. Antarcticas sheet covers
14 million km & contains 61% of the worlds
fresh water
Ice Shelves are extensions of the Ice Shelf,
attached to the land but floating. Tabular Bergs.
Seaward face: Ice Front Height: 2-50m
When a glacier flows into the sea, the buoyant
force of the water breaks off pieces known as
icebergs (calving)

ANTARCTIC ICE SHELVES

2. CLASSIFICATION &
IDENTIFICATION
D: GLACIER ICE FORMATION & DEVELOPMENT

ICEBERG: 5m+ height


Glacier Berg irregular shape
Tabular Berg flat top

BERGY BIT: 1-5m height

GROWLER: less than 1m height

TABULAR BERG CALVING

2. CLASSIFICATION &
IDENTIFICATION
E: DEFORMATION
SEA ICE
As the pressure around the ice form relaxes
cracks, fractures, leads (navigable) & Polynyas
are formed (enclosed)
ICE BERGS
Can become unstable and capsize as they
become top heavy due to melting and erosion
of the submerged section.
Tabular Bergs can continue the calving process

3. LOCATION SEA ICE

54 South
Atlantic

62 South - Pacific

56
Indian

ARCTIC CIRCLE

SEA ICE MARCH 2008

SEA ICE SEPTEMBER 2008

NORTH WEST PASSAGE


Bering
Sea
Greenlan
d

Baffin Island

Tanker in the NW Passage

LOCATION - ICEBERGS
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
Ice Bergs calved from glaciers and Tabular Bergs
from Ice Shelves
Predominantly west coast Greenland where 100
glaciers produce 10-15,000 bergs per year
First winter in Baffin Bay Pack Ice, then in spring
Labrador Current drifts them into NA shipping lanes
(1966, 1 berg reported - 1984, 2203 bergs reported)
North Atlantic Limit 42 N in May
Bergs from Barents Sea & Norway stay north due to
NA Drift current

LOCATION - ICEBERGS

North Atlantic Ocean

40
West

40
North

1960s ICEBERG DESTRUCTION


EXPERIMENTS

LOCATION: ICE BERGS


SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
Ice bergs predominantly Tabular
Bergs
Further north in Indian & Atlantic
Oceans as Antarctica coast extends
further north adjacent to these
oceans
Restricts Great Circle Sailing between
three southern continents all year
round

LOCATION: ICEBERGS
46 - 59
S
46 - 53
S

57 - 63
S

PACK ICE DRIFT


Wind principle force, surface currents
secondary
Coriolis Force deflects drift angle to
between 20 and 90 from the wind
direction (right in NH, left in SH)
Thicker Ice, lighter winds = larger
drift angles
Rate: less than 10% of wind speed

PACK ICE DRIFT

ICEBERG DRIFT
Depends on shape of Berg
If majority of berg submerged;
predominant force surface current
If majority of berg exposed;
predominant force surface wind
Drift angles: 10 70 , larger berg,
larger drift angle
Rate: up to 5% of surface wind speed

4. DANGERS
Stability ice accretion, rise of G
Thermal hull stresses eg: FO tanks
Structural damage hull, prop &
rudder, tanks
Machinery cooling water
Navigation/Communications Ionosphere
Freezing temperatures
(equipment/crew)

5.
PREPARATION/PROCEDURES
CREW TRAINING
Ship Handling
Polar navigation
Polar communications
Polar meteorology
Sea ice terminology
Ice observing & reporting
Polar Survival

5.
PREPARATION/PROCEDURES

EQUIPMENT
Damage Control materials
Equipment to remove ice/snow accretion
on deck
Additives & coolants for oils, ballast water
& cooling water
Rock salt
Explosives
Clothing
Extra stores (general/medical/spare parts)

5.
PREPARATION/PROCEDURES
LSA/FFE
Location Water & Foam Extinguishers
Drying fire hoses prior to rolling
Fire Pumps located in heated
compartments
Fire lines drainage
Life Boat/FRC engines
Survival Kits
Drills/Training

5.
PREPARATION/PROCEDURES
BRIDGE
Ice Forecasting/Routing
Passive microwave satellite data (Polar View)
Ice Messages Nav Warning & International Ice Patrol
(Type/Concentration - Position GMT)
BRM: Ice Conning Officer/Pilot *
Stability: Deep draft/trim by stern
Tanks above waterline
Ice Operation Manual, including emergency scenarios
Antarctic/Arctic Pilots & Ocean Passages of the World,
Mariners Handbook, Bowditch

6. NAVIGATION
LAMBERT CONFORMAL PROJECTION
Angles are represented correctly so the
navigator can plot directly on the chart.
Great Circles represented as straight
lines; because a bearing is a Rhumb
Line at high latitudes
The projection has a constant scale
over the entire chart.
Meridians are straight to facilitate
plotting and grid navigation

Lambert conformal
projection

6. NAVIGATION
CHARTS Can use variations of Mercator
Projection, Polar View, pack ice
concentrations
COMPASS ERROR large Variations
DIP Vertical component stronger, horizontal
component weaker. Acceptable up to 1000
from Magnetic Pole (73 S/N)
GYRO Continue to correct for Steaming
Error, directional instability on Spin axis at
its extreme in polar latitudes
BRM e.g.: 3 officers Aurora Australis

6. NAVIGATION
PROPOGATION Ionosphere overloaded at
poles and HF & VHF radio waves reflect off
lower layers in the Ionosphere, reducing
propagation
TIME sun circum-polar body, no sunrise/set
CELESTIAL NAVIGATION no clear horizon
(pack ice), overcast conditions, 10 altitudes
INADEQUATLEY SURVEYED WATERS
LAND differentiating between land & ice
shelf / fast ice difficult so satellite & celestial
position fixing preferred
RADAR -

DETECTING ICE

ICE BLINK: Reflection of ice in sky; white glare if


overcast, yellow haze if clear
SEA TEMPERATURE: 1 C - ice with in 150,
-0.5 C - ice within 50
FOG: Ice edge usually has thick fog above
ANIMALS: seals, walruss, Antarctic & Snow
Petrels
POOR VIS: abrupt change in sea state &
reduction in swell ice to windward
LOOKOUTS: Including Helicopters
RADAR: Small range scale, 3cm Radar, short
Pulse Length and long range scanning. *
Bergs/Ice Front

APPROACHING ICE
Expect Bergs first, then Growlers & Bergy
Bits to windward
Slow down
Call Master
Post extra lookouts / helicopter
Send Ice Message
Wide berth Bergs/Spars & Rams
Pack Ice/Ice Front navigate around
Radar
Night operations

6. SHIPHANDLING

RELATING TO PACK ICE AS YOUNG ICE FOR NONSTRENGTHENED VESSEL


Keep clear of Icebergs
Safe speed approaching ice: 7kts max (less at
night)
Manual steering
Navigate around rather than through ice if
possible
Keep moving, even if very slow
Work with ice movement, not against
Approach ice at 90 and at a slow speed, then
increase pending progress.

6. SHIPHANDLING

Avoid glancing blows


Be aware of bergs in pack ice
Dont break ice astern
Rudder amidships when going astern
Follow path of least resistance
Trim by stern
Leads: utilise helicopters
Pack Ice pressure greatest danger; if wake
closes quickly, pressure is evident
Water Sky: Strip of darker sky showing
open water reflecting off cloud

6. SHIPHANDLING
BESET: Surrounded by ice, steering
control
lost, unable to move
NIPPED: Ice forcibly presses itself
against the
hull
Manoeuvring ahead, cycling rudder
Adjust trim/list
Deadmen/Ice Anchors
Explosives

CONCLUSION
Preparation & Planning
Respect the ice, do not fear
it
Patience in Pack Ice
Safe speed
Ice Pilot
Avoid ice if possible, if not
ice strengthened

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