ICE NAVIGATION
ICE NAVIGATION
Hot IceWhen researching this topic the phrase hot ice
appearedFurther research located this
ICE NAVIGATIONREGULATIONS & VESSELSCLASSIFICATION &
IDENTIFICATIONLOCATIONDANGERSPREPARATION & PROCEDURESNAVIGATION
& SHIPHANDLING
AURORA AUSTRALIS
1. REGULATIONS & VESSELSCOASTAL STATES CLASSIFICATION
SOCIETIESIncluding Norway, Canada & Russia had their own Ice
Rules
ICSAHarmonised CSs & established Polar Rules in August
2006
IMODeveloped Guidelines for Ships operating in Arctic
Ice-covered Waters in 2002, not including Antarctica
1. REGULATIONS & VESSELSICE CLASS SHIPIce Strengthened
Vessel Ice Breaking Merchant VesselIce 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 & VESSELSPOLAR OPERATIONS
ARCTIC CIRCLE OIL & GAS EXPLORATION
ANTARCTICA CRUISE SHIPS
NORTH WEST PASSAGEOpened second time summer 2008
ESCORTING FISHING FLEET
2. CLASSIFICATION & IDENTIFICATIONA: FORMS OF ICE AFFECTING
THE MARINER
FLOATING ICEFRESH WATER ICE - surface of lakes & riversSEA
ICE - sea surfaceGLACIER ICE - of land origin (glaciers)FIXED
ICESEA 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
NEW ICE: 0-10cm thick *
YOUNG ICE: 10-30cm thick
FIRST YEAR ICE: 30cm 2m
OLD ICE: 3m+
2. CLASSIFICATION & IDENTIFICATIONB: SEA ICE FORMATION &
DEVELOPMENT
NEW ICE: 0-10cm thickSoft 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 thickGrowing thicker and harder, danger to
shipping increasing.Spongy white lumps. Circular pieces. Grey in
colour.Nilas, Pancake Ice, Grey Ice
2. CLASSIFICATION & IDENTIFICATIONB: SEA ICE FORMATION &
DEVELOPMENT
FIRST YEAR ICE: 30cm-2m thickNot more than one summers
growth.White in colour.
OLD ICE: 3m+ thickSurvived 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 & IDENTIFICATIONC: PACK ICE: Concentration
of Sea Ice1/10 3/10:VERY OPEN PACK ICE4/10 6/10:OPEN PACK ICEUP TO
7/10:PACK ICE (still navigable)7/10 9/10:CLOSE ICE9/10:VERY CLOSE
PACK ICE10/10:CONSOLIDATED PACK ICE
*Wind causes pressure
Flat Sea Ice 20m length:Floe
2. CLASSIFICATION & IDENTIFICATIOND: 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 waterIce 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 & IDENTIFICATIOND: GLACIER ICE FORMATION
& DEVELOPMENT
ICEBERG: 5m+ heightGlacier Berg irregular shapeTabular Berg flat
top
BERGY BIT: 1-5m height
GROWLER: less than 1m heightTABULAR BERG CALVING
2. CLASSIFICATION & IDENTIFICATIONE: DEFORMATIONSEA ICEAs
the pressure around the ice form relaxes cracks, fractures, leads
(navigable) & Polynyas are formed (enclosed)
ICE BERGSCan become unstable and capsize as they become top
heavy due to melting and erosion of the submerged section.Tabular
Bergs can continue the calving process3. LOCATION SEA ICE
South Atlantic 62 South - Pacific56 IndianARCTIC CIRCLE
SEA ICE MARCH 2008
SEA ICE SEPTEMBER 2008
NORTH WEST PASSAGE
Bering SeaGreenlandBaffin IslandTanker in the NW Passage
LOCATION - ICEBERGSNORTHERN HEMISPHEREIce Bergs calved from
glaciers and Tabular Bergs from Ice ShelvesPredominantly west coast
Greenland where 100 glaciers produce 10-15,000 bergs per yearFirst
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 MayBergs from
Barents Sea & Norway stay north due to NA Drift current
LOCATION - ICEBERGS
North Atlantic Ocean
40 West40 North1960s ICEBERG DESTRUCTION EXPERIMENTS
LOCATION: ICE BERGSSOUTHERN HEMISPHEREIce bergs predominantly
Tabular BergsFurther north in Indian & Atlantic Oceans as
Antarctica coast extends further north adjacent to these
oceansRestricts Great Circle Sailing between three southern
continents all year round
LOCATION: ICEBERGS
46 - 59 S 46 - 53 S 57 - 63 S PACK ICE DRIFTWind principle
force, surface currents secondaryCoriolis 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 anglesRate:
less than 10% of wind speed
PACK ICE DRIFT
ICEBERG DRIFTDepends on shape of BergIf majority of berg
submerged; predominant force surface currentIf majority of berg
exposed; predominant force surface windDrift angles: 10 70 , larger
berg, larger drift angleRate: up to 5% of surface wind speed4.
DANGERSStability ice accretion, rise of GThermal hull stresses eg:
FO tanksStructural damage hull, prop & rudder, tanksMachinery
cooling waterNavigation/Communications - IonosphereFreezing
temperatures (equipment/crew)SurvivalIsolation/shore support
infrastructure
5. PREPARATION/PROCEDURESCREW TRAININGShip HandlingPolar
navigationPolar communicationsPolar meteorologySea ice
terminologyIce observing & reportingPolar Survival
5. PREPARATION/PROCEDURESEQUIPMENTDamage Control
materialsEquipment to remove ice/snow accretion on deckAdditives
& coolants for oils, ballast water & cooling waterRock
saltExplosivesClothingExtra stores (general/medical/spare
parts)
5. PREPARATION/PROCEDURESLSA/FFELocation Water & Foam
ExtinguishersDrying fire hoses prior to rollingFire Pumps located
in heated compartmentsFire lines drainageLife Boat/FRC
enginesSurvival KitsDrills/Training5.
PREPARATION/PROCEDURESBRIDGEIce 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 sternTanks
above waterlineIce Operation Manual, including emergency
scenariosAntarctic/Arctic Pilots & Ocean Passages of the
World,Mariners Handbook, Bowditch
6. NAVIGATIONLAMBERT CONFORMAL PROJECTIONAngles 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. NAVIGATIONCHARTS Can use variations of Mercator Projection,
Polar View, pack ice concentrationsCOMPASS ERROR large
VariationsDIP 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 latitudesBRM e.g.: 3 officers
Aurora Australis6. NAVIGATIONPROPOGATION Ionosphere overloaded at
poles and HF & VHF radio waves reflect off lower layers in the
Ionosphere, reducing propagationTIME sun circum-polar body, no
sunrise/setCELESTIAL NAVIGATION no clear horizon (pack ice),
overcast conditions, 10 altitudesINADEQUATLEY SURVEYED WATERSLAND
differentiating between land & ice shelf / fast ice difficult
so satellite & celestial position fixing preferredRADAR -
DETECTING ICE
ICE BLINK: Reflection of ice in sky; white glare if overcast,
yellow haze if clearSEA TEMPERATURE:1 C - ice with in 150, -0.5 C -
ice within 50FOG: Ice edge usually has thick fog aboveANIMALS:
seals, walruss, Antarctic & Snow PetrelsPOOR VIS: abrupt change
in sea state & reduction in swell ice to windwardLOOKOUTS:
Including HelicoptersRADAR: Small range scale, 3cm Radar, short
Pulse Length and long range scanning. * Bergs/Ice FrontAPPROACHING
ICEExpect Bergs first, then Growlers & Bergy Bits to
windwardSlow downCall MasterPost extra lookouts / helicopterSend
Ice MessageWide berth Bergs/Spars & RamsPack Ice/Ice Front
navigate around RadarNight operations
6. SHIPHANDLINGRELATING TO PACK ICE AS YOUNG ICE FOR
NON-STRENGTHENED VESSELKeep clear of IcebergsSafe speed approaching
ice: 7kts max (less at night)Manual steeringNavigate around rather
than through ice if possibleKeep moving, even if very slowWork with
ice movement, not againstApproach ice at 90 and at a slow speed,
then increase pending progress.
6. SHIPHANDLINGAvoid glancing blowsBe aware of bergs in pack
iceDont break ice asternRudder amidships when going asternFollow
path of least resistanceTrim by sternLeads: utilise helicoptersPack
Ice pressure greatest danger; if wake closes quickly, pressure is
evidentWater Sky: Strip of darker sky showing open water reflecting
off cloud
6. SHIPHANDLINGBESET: Surrounded by ice, steering control lost,
unable to moveNIPPED: Ice forcibly presses itself against the
hullManoeuvring ahead, cycling rudderAdjust trim/listDeadmen/Ice
AnchorsExplosivesCONCLUSIONPreparation & PlanningRespect the
ice, do not fear itPatience in Pack IceSafe speedIce PilotAvoid ice
if possible, if not ice strengthened
