Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Arctic Passion News 1 / 2017 / 13

Icebreaker begins work Page 10

Icebreaking needs and Model testing of Ice Harmonising model tests plans on the Northern Strengthened Lifeboat for power requirements Sea Route Page 11 Page 14 Page 4 Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017

In this issue

Page 2 From the Managing Director Dear Reader, Page 3 to chair the Arctic Council Page 4 Icebreaking needs on the NSR The year 2017 is quite significant for Page 8 Will EEDI become tighter Finland when it comes to Arctic matters, Page 9 Polar Code training as Finland is taking the chairmanship in Page 10 Polaris begins work the Arctic Council, and the same year Page 11 Ice strengthened lifeboat celebrating the nation's centenary of testing independence. This results in a number Page 12 Basics about ice part 1 of special events that also affect our Page 14 Harmonising model tests businesses in the Arctic region. Although Page 16 Intelligent de-icing Aker Arctic is focusing on technical Page 17 News in brief matters and development of the Page 20 Christmas party in Åland solutions to be used in both Arctic and Meet us here other icebreaking vessels, administrative actions are of much interest to us. This year will show how the major and Announcements pioneering Arctic project, Sabetta Regulatory issues are developing. terminal, the first ever real Arctic LNG Alexey Shtrek has This is the first year of polar code project, is coming onstream. This project joined Aker Arctic as development implementation, and we also see is a great showcase of how the new manager. significant development in the vessels and technological solutions will Alexey graduated environmental codes, EEDI, BWM and be used in the extreme Arctic conditions. from the St. Petersburg State IMO regulations, which show the way for It is also paving the way for future Marine Technical the future. The main focus and projects, and hopefully showing that University in 2000 importance is in open water shipping Arctic projects can be carried out in a with a Master's because it dominates the volume of the timely manner while also being safe and Degree, and previously worked in the ships, and thus has the greatest sustainable. The new activities also Laboratory of Icebreaking Technology of Central Marine Research and Design influence on global emissions. The Arctic require more supporting services, such Institute. He has participated in the region on the other hand is suffering as ice forecasting, operative feasibility studies of new and most from climate change. We have in management, training etc. Aker Arctic is Arctic cargo vessels, research and development, expert consulting works on recent years seen alarming signs of how active in developing those either their designs, as well as taken part in changes in the Arctic are quick and big. independently or in co-operation with experimental voyages and full-scale trials IMO level regulations are to be applied other organisations. of ice-going ships. Many of these have also in ice-classed vessels. They create been done together with the Aker Arctic team. a special difficulty, as low-energy In this issue of Arctic Passion News you solutions are often controversial to the can read the latest information on the Jesse Lehtonen has practical ice vessel operations. This vessel projects that we have had the been appointed project engineer, and challenge drives us even further to privilege of being part of. I find it will be working with develop ships with easier icebreaking extremely interesting to be making machinery system technologies as well as vessels' system history in icebreaking and Arctic shipping design. Jesse solutions, which are clean and efficient. together with our clients and partners. graduated as a Naval Architect from the Aalto University A great example of this is the Polaris Best Regards, School of Engineering icebreaker, which in addition to using Reko-Antti Suojanen in January 2017. In his Master's thesis he LNG fuel has been designed to have Managing Director studied simulations of propulsion system dynamics under propeller-ice interaction. systems that save fuel and energy. Despite these solutions, Polaris has the Heikki Sipilä retired from Aker Arctic in best icebreaking capabilities in its duty October 2016 after a as a Baltic heavy icebreaker. long career in the ship development and ship engineering Front cover: industry. He worked Brand new LNG Baltic icebreaker Polaris (left) side by side with mostly in , Finland first with icebreaker Urho (right), at in in January Wärtsilä, then Masa 2017, a few days before Polaris departed for icebreaking duty Yards and lastly at STX Lifecycle Services in the Bay of Bothnia. before joining Aker Arctic. We wish Heikki a happy retirement!

2 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Finland to chair the Arctic Council 2017-2019

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Timo Soini (third from the right) at the Glacier- meeting in Alaska in 2015.

Courtesy of the U.S. Department of State

Finland will take over the two-year c hairmanship of the Arctic Finland has a great deal to offer to Arctic Council from the U.S. at the beginning of May 2017. The focus cooperation in terms of Arctic-related expertise. Finland has several biological will be on implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change research stations in Lapland, where and the UN sustainable development goals as part of Arctic Arctic ecology is being studied. The cooperation. A more detailed programme will be published in Arctic Centre, a separate institute affiliated to the University of Lapland in April 2017. Rovaniemi, carries out interdisciplinary research on the effects of global The Arctic Council was established twenty The Arctic Council's foreign ministerial changes on Arctic nature and Arctic years ago as a high level meeting is organised every second year. societies. The University of Oulu is a intergovernmental forum to enhance The next ministerial meeting will be held centre for Arctic medical sciences. Arctic- cooperation, coordination and interaction in May 2017 in Fairbanks and the related issues can be found also in the on common Arctic issues. The member following towards the end of the Finnish teaching and research programs of many states are Finland, Sweden, , chairmanship in spring 2019. other institutions of higher education in Denmark, Iceland, Russian Federation, Finland. the United States of America and Canada. Finnish goals Finnish industry has expertise and The region's indigenous peoples such as The Arctic Team at the Ministry for modern technology in such fields as the Sami also participate in the Foreign Affairs will coordinate Finland's Arctic transportation and navigation in cooperation. The Council is a forum for Chairmanship. The programme has been ice-covered waters, Arctic construction, promoting environmental protection, prepared in cooperation between actors Arctic environmental technology as well sustainable development, and the representing the entire state as the development of Arctic wellbeing of the inhabitants of the Arctic administration and different interest infrastructure. areas. groups. The Finnish Chairmanship will Mr Timo Soini, Minister of Foreign The Council has during its existence focus on environmental protection, Affairs of Finland, expressed in his played a leading role in delivering world- meteorological cooperation, as well as speech at the Arctic Circle Conference in class scientific assessments, addressing improving communication and education October 2016 why Arctic cooperation is the impacts of globalisation and climate as part of Arctic cooperation. According important. change, and facilitating cooperative to René Söderman, Senior Adviser at the “In the 21st century, the Arctic has the responses to these challenges. The Arctic Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Arctic potential to become a hub between Council has also provided a forum for the Team will publish a more detailed Europe, America and Asia. Natural negotiation of two important legally programme in April 2017. resources and the opening of new sea binding agreements among the eight In issues related to the economy, routes in the Arctic may bring many Arctic states, both of which came into close collaboration with the Arctic benefits, but also challenges. In view of force in 2013. These are the Agreement Economic Council will be sought. The these unprecedented changes we need on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Arctic Council's Chairmanship provides to safeguard sustainable development of Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic, an opportunity for Finland to strengthen the Arctic region.” and the Agreement on Cooperation on its Arctic image and raise awareness of Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Finnish expertise in operating in cold Response in the Arctic. conditions.

16 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Icebreaking needs and plans on the Northern Sea Route

Dynamic of cargo volume on the NSR Growth of shipping on the Northern Sea over the past 25 years (transit and domestic) Route has been connected with the commercial exploration of the Arctic regions. Icebreaker fleet and duly ice-strengthened transport vessels successfully transport natural resources and deliver equipment, and commodities to and from the areas of difficult access. Although the NSR offers opportunities as a shorter transit route for shipping, the main growth forecasts in transportation are currently related to the exploration of new fields and exportation of raw materials from the Arctic shelf.

The seaway of Northern Sea Route export of oil from the oil fields of the NSR transit navigation (NSR) is running through Kara, Laptev, Timan-Pechora region through the Since 2010, large-capacity ships of East Siberian, and Chukchi seas. The stationary sea ice-resistant shipping appropriate ice classes have carried out NSR can be entered from west through terminal Varandey has been going on transit cargo transportation during the Straits Yugorskiy Shar and Karskiye several years. The sea ice-resistant summer-autumn navigation. These ships Vorota, or by passing North of Ostrova stationary platform Prirazlomnaya began are sailing along the NSR under the Novaya Zemlya around Mys Zhelaniya, production and shipping in 2014. escort of Russian nuclear icebreakers. and from East through the Bering Strait. Construction of the natural gas For the first time, the Aframax class The main factor influencing navigation liquefaction plant in Sabetta and the tanker SCF Baltica made a transit through the NSR is the presence of ice. export of oil from the Novoportovskoe voyage through the NSR from Annual and seasonal variability of ice field from the single-point mooring in Ob Murmansk to China in August 2010. The conditions is typical for all areas of the Bay in the Cape Kamenny area are largest ship passing along the NSR in NSR. Navigation season for transit under active construction at present. 2011 was the tanker Vladimir Tikhonov passages starts approximately at the The first shipment of LNG from of the Suezmax class, with a deadweight beginning of July and lasts through to Sabetta is planned for 2017, putting into of about 160 thousand tonnes. For the the second half of November. On the operation the first train with annual transit of such large ships, the deep- western parts, it is possible to operate production of 5.5 million tonnes of LNG. water high-latitude route to the north of year-round with the assistance of Already in 2019 the total productivity of the New Siberian Islands was used. icebreakers, or with independently three trains could reach 16.5 million In November 2012, for the first time icebreaking vessels. tonnes a year. It is additionally planned ever, the transportation of LNG on the to extract up to 1 million tonnes of gas NSR was carried out. The transportation Current projects along the NSR condensate from Sabetta. was performed by LNG carrier Ob River Since the winter of 1978-79, one of the At the end of May 2016, the “Arctic with a capacity of 150, 000 m and was³ most advanced Arctic marine transport Gate” single point terminal began escorted by two nuclear icebreakers systems in the Arctic has been the year- operation near Cape Kamenny. It is during the period of intensive ice round Dudinka – Murmansk shipping intended that during the first years the formation. line. Cargo flow on this route remains at volume of the annual transhipment of oil However, the results of 2014-2016 a more or less stable level of about 1 would reach 5.5 million tonnes and from seasons navigations have shown that million tonnes annually. 2019, reaching full output, the terminal the transit cargo flows though the NSR Besides projects involving sea would be capable of shipping about 8.5 remain unstable, and can easily be transportation of hydrocarbons from the million tonnes of crude oil annually. redirected to other routes. Russian Arctic offshore, at present the

4 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017

Vessels transited NSR in year 2016 Source: http://www.arctic-lio.com/nsr_transits

The ice belt is made of compound steel covered with a stainless steel layer to reduce ice resistance and maintenance costs.

Role of NSR Administration Obtaining and considering the Rendering the information services Politics of the Russian Federation submitted applications and issuing in relation to the water area of the regarding Arctic navigation is based on the permissions for navigation NSR, for example, about the the principle that the NSR is a through the NSR; organisation of navigation, historically established national integral Issuing the certificates of the ice requirements of safe transport communication in the Arctic. In conventional pilotage on NSR; navigation and others; order to resolve pending problems of the Researching weather, ice, Making recommendations about organisation of navigation, and to ensure navigational and other conditions development of routes of navigation safety in the water area of the NSR, in on NSR; and using icebreaking fleet in the 2012 President Putin signed the Federal Coordination of installation of water area of the NSR, ice and Law “On amendments to certain navigational aids and harmonization navigational conditions there; legislative acts of the Russian of regions to carry out hydrographical Timely data retrieval from Russian Federation regarding the state regulation survey operations on NSR; hydro meteorological service about of commercial navigation in the water Assistance in the organization of hydro meteorological forecast and area of the NSR”. search and rescue operations in the ice analysis. The Federal state Institution “The water area of NSR; Northern Sea Route Administration” was Assistance in eliminating the The intent is also towards a more established with the main targets to consequences of pollution from justified fee policy. Fee rates for ensure safe navigation and protection of vessels of harmful substances, icebreaker escorts and ice pilotage of marine environment from the pollution in sewage or garbage; ships in the water of NSR are the water area of the Northern sea route. determined based on ship capacity, ice The main functions are the following:

5 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017

class, distance of escorting, and season addressed,” the report says. Baltiysky Zavod shipyard in Saint of navigation. Payment is collected In recent years, modern icebreaking Petersburg. based on the amount of services vessels of Norilsk Nickel class operate The various exploration projects have rendered. year-round without icebreaker escort. all ordered specific icebreakers to The new “Rules of the navigation in The new LNG-carriers departing the port support their operations. Aker Arctic has the water area of the Northern Sea of Sabetta are also capable of winter participated in most of the projects Route” approved in 2013, state that voyages without icebreaker escort. designing icebreakers, support tugs, port icebreaker escort on the NSR is carried However, users preferring independent icebreakers, tankers, module carriers, out only by icebreakers navigating under navigation will still need icebreaker and has also assisted in port planning. the flag of the Russian Federation. services for emergency situations. It is “The Northern Sea Route remains the These rules also contain a list of currently unclear how many new most important part of the infrastructure documents, which ship owners have to icebreakers would be needed to maintain of the economic system of the Far North attach to the application for the service, not only for the extension of the of Russia,” says development manager permission to navigate in the water area NSR navigation season but also to Alexey Shtrek, Aker Arctic. “For the last of the NSR, and criteria for admission of provide marine access to the Russian decade, we have seen steady ships into the NSR in compliance with Navy and resupply of remote coastal development of Arctic shipping projects their . communities. According to the report, it is connected with navigation in the NSR also unclear how IMO's Polar Code will water area, although projected plans Icebreaker assistance be implemented in Russian waters. have not always advanced as fast as The NSR extends for about 3000 wished. Completely new types of nautical miles. The length of the route Planned icebreakers icebreaking cargo vessels have been with icebreaker assistance in each case According to Rosatomflot, the following designed and built for this purpose. The depends on ice conditions, and on the new building projects are now on-going: potential of NSR transit shipping has choice of particular variants of passage Three universal Atomic icebreakers been tried, and has proven its of different stretches of the route. (Project 22220) will be acquired for year- economical feasibility provided there is According to a report by Arild Moe and round navigation on NSR. These appropriate support and further Lawson Brigham published in the icebreakers will have a propulsion development of infrastructure.” Geographical Review 2016, it is the capacity of 60 MW. The first should be responsibility of each captain to plan and delivered in 2017, the second in 2019, carry out the voyage along NSR based and the third at a later date. “All this gives us hope of on requirements and information An Atomic-leader icebreaker (Project received from the NSR Administration in 10510) is currently at the planning stage. seeing the realisation of more Moscow. Practical planning must be It is intended for year-round icebreaking Arctic production and negotiated with the icebreaker company. pilotage of heavy tonnage vessels transportation projects Although there are many providers of (deadweight above 100 000 t and icebreaking and ice pilotage services breadth above 50 m) along the whole demanding more highly (the full list can be found at distance of the Northern Sea Route, with sophisticated icebreaking www.nsra.ru), for long hauls only an economically effective speed (~10 ships in the near future. Atomflot is relevant. Moe and Brigham knots) in 2 m thick ice. further state in their report that they Also proposed is a Multipurpose A powerful Arctic icebreaker believe there will be a lack of strong Atomic icebreaker (Project 10570) for ice fleet will by all means remain icebreakers in the future if investments pilotage in the shallow waters of the key to ensuring safe in new powerful icebreakers are not Arctic shelf. advancing. Rosmorport is planning to start navigation, and to facilitating “The eastern NSR-route across operation in the Arctic of a powerful traffic through the Northern Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas diesel-electric icebreaker (25 MW) with a Sea Route,” Shtrek adds. to the Bering Strait is where the length of wide range of functional capabilities the ice navigation season remains including escort of convoys along the uncertain. While it may be technically Northern Sea Route and assistance of feasible with nuclear icebreakers to ships in shallow Arctic areas in 2018. The escort ships year-round along the icebreaker Victor Chernomyrdin (project eastern NSR, the safety and economical 22600) was laid down in 2012 and issues of doing so have not been fully launched late December 2016 at

6 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Transportation projects with Aker Arctic involvement

Photo: Sovcomflot OAO

Arctic container vessels Varandey The container vessels designed for Norilsk Nickel in 2006 The seaport of Varandey is located on the shore of the used the new revolutionary Double-Acting ship (DAS )™ Barents Sea near Varandey Bay. At present the oil export from concept Aker Arctic developed. Today this technology is more the fields of the Timan-Pechora region through the stationary, or less the standard in Arctic vessels used in year-round sea-ice resistant shipping terminal Varandey has been taking traffic. These were among the first ships able to operate year- place for several years. Aker Arctic designed the pioneering round in the Kara Sea without icebreaking support. trio of Arctic tankers for transportation of crude oil without icebreaker escort.

Courtesy of ZPMC Red Box Energy Services

Prirazlomnaya Port of Sabetta The sea-ice resistant stationary platform Prirazlomnaya Sabetta seaport is located in the north-eastern part of the Yamal started production and shipping in 2014. Aker Arctic designed Peninsula, on the western coast of the Ob Bay. The port is under the vessels used in transporting the oil. construction, as are the natural gas liquefaction plant and the Novoportovskoe oil field. The first shipment of LNG from Sabetta is planned for 2017. Aker Arctic began development work for the Yamal LNG project already in the 1990s. We have also been involved in the planning and design development of the LNG- carriers, Sabetta harbour, and design of the port icebreakers to ensure efficient year-round operations. In addition Aker Arctic designed the two PC3 class module carriers, which currently deliver construction modules for the LNG-plant from Europe and Asia, as well as an Arctic gas condensate tanker. Arctic Gate At the end of May 2016, a single point terminal started to operate near Cape Kamenny. It is intended that during the first years the volume of annual transhipment of oil would reach 5.5 million tonnes and from 2019 reaching the full output the terminal would be able to ship about 8.5 million tonnes of crude oil. Aker Arctic has been involved in developing the transport solutions for the oil shipments from Novy Port, as well as the powerful icebreakers to secure safe operations. Sources: Northern Sea Route Information Office website http://www.arctic-lio.com The Northern Sea Route Administration website The NSR Administration publishes ice charts for different http://www.nsra.ru periods on their website to facilitate planning of vessel traffic Organization and management challenges of Russia's and icebreaker assistance. icebreaker fleet, article by Arild Moe and Lawson Brigham in Geographical Review 2016 Presentation by Rosatomflot 2016 Report by Alexey Shtrek, Aker Arctic Technology

7 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017

Smaller vessels can easier fulfil EEDI rules. However, when the

aim is to reduce CO2 emissions, total Will EEDI cargo amounts to be transported have to be taken into account.

EEDI could be implemented. Scenarios become tighter? will be built up regarding the cargo traffic in the in order to evaluate the The IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) came into optimal amount and sizes of vessels needed for total cargo flow. As a result, force in January 2013. The purpose was to promote energy emissions of both individual ships and efficient ships and thereby reduce CO2 emissions, but it now total cargo traffic will be compared. Aker seems that not all the ships built based on EEDI are optimal Arctic is participating in these studies. “EEDI regulations were based on when looking at the big picture. vessel statistics,” Uuskallio adds. “The challenge in gathering statistics The Energy Efficiency Design Index often have a daily schedule they need to regarding the Baltic Sea was, that there (EEDI) is a mandatory design method keep, which means they cannot sail were not always enough vessels to get for new vessels above 400 GT. The slower. statistical relevance, and certain intent is to reduce CO 2 emissions by Based on the experience so far, it is categories were based only on regulating the installed propulsion power easier for smaller vessels to meet the individual vessels. In some cases this of new vessels with considerable current EEDI requirements. might have been a special vessel with conversions. At the moment, ships with “If this phenomenon continues, it may special solutions, and as such not a icebreaking capability of more than one increase the number of small ships at good representative of that vessel metre and ships with diesel-electric the expense of larger vessels, and bring category.” propulsion are excluded from EEDI an overall increase in the CO2 emissions Another challenge with EEDI requirements. However, there are in comparison to a situation in which the currently no clear regulations on how same amount of cargo is transported is that it is somewhat the icebreaking capability of one metre with larger vessels,” says sales and contradictory to the goals of can be verified. marketing manager Arto Uuskallio. the Finnish-Swedish ice class There is also political pressure to move rule with minimum power Results from EEDI on to phase two and three of EEDI Now that EEDI has been in force for regulation – and possibly to phase four, requirement, which needs three years, results are beginning to which would mean even tighter further studies. show. For container ships the solution to regulations for individual vessels, but fulfil EEDI has been slow steaming with not necessarily reduced overall Additionally, the aim with the current hull modifications, i.e. reducing speed emissions. studies is to clarify how to verify the and increasing of ship size. Thus, new EEDI compliance of high ice-class container ships are getting bigger and Optimal cargo flow vessels. Open water vessels are slower than before. For other ship types, Given this situation, the Finnish currently verified through calculations, this solution is not always an option. For Transport Agency and the Board of model tests and full-scale tests during instance ice going vessels, which WNinter avigation have begun studies to the design and construction period. “A already move slow in ice, reducing gather information about the vessels corresponding process would be speed is not possible or they might get built in phase one of EEDI, so as to appropriate for high ice class ice stuck in ice. Cruise ships and ferries evaluate how phase two and three of vessels too,” says Uuskallio.

8 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Polar Code in force IMO Polar Code began in January 2017. The compulsory requirements are needed for ships sailing in international polar waters. For new ships, the Polar Code now the PWOM as a service to our applies. Existing ships need to comply customers, but it has to be compiled with the Polar Code at their first jointly with the ship-owner and the intermediate survey or renewal survey operator to meet the requirements for after 1 January 2018. each vessel.” One of the requirements in the Polar Code is the Polar Water Operations Crew training is essential Manual (PWOM), which needs to be In order to support the crew, prior training available in every vessel. in Polar water operations is necessary. “The intention is to use it as a real At IMO, the Standards of Training, operative manual which describes how Certification and Watchkeeping things are done in cold and freezing committee (STCW) is currently in the conditions and how the vessel is process of finalising the instructions on operated in various situations,” says Mr how and who is allowed to offer crew Uuskallio. “Insurance companies will training. In Finland, Aker Arctic's partner surely verify this if something happens in Aboa Mare provides this special training the Polar areas. We at Aker Arctic offer for the crews. Polar Code training now available Aker Arctic's cooperation partner Aboa Mare in Turku, Finland offers ice navigation training according to Polar Code requirements for vessel crews, which intend to sail in the Polar areas. “Our new Ice Navigation Course is come into force 1.7.2018 but Vuorio the new Finnish icebreaker Polaris has delivered according to STCW assures that their course includes been to our premises in Turku to practice requirements and includes all the IMO everything needed to obtain the Polar handling the vessel using the ice guidelines for crew training,” says Ship Certificate, as Aboa Mare has simulator.” training director Micael Vuorio, Aboa participated in developing the IMO Aboa Mare has educated sea captains Mare. training requirements. for over 200 years. They have ten The Polar Code certificate is required Aker Arctic and Aboa Mare have been different ship bridges to train on, and all of officers sailing in Arctic and Antarctic working together since 2007 in ice of them include ice navigation as an waters. There are two levels of the Polar navigation training, and today they are option. “I believe our ice navigation Code course, Basic and Advanced, and jointly developing the Aker Arctic ceI know-how is among the best in the the course is offered in English. Simulator. world.” “Participants in our courses come from “The ice simulator is the best possible all over the world,” Vuorio adds. tool in learning ice navigation,” Vuorio Read more about courses at Aboa The IMO training requirements will says. “For instance, the entire crew of Mare from www.aboamare.fi.

The ice simulator is the best possible tool in learning ice navigation.

9 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017

Polaris begins work

The brand new Finnish LNG icebreaker Polaris began her work in Pasi Järvelin at the bridge in Helsinki, before departing for January this year. Praised for her powers and environmental solutions, icebreaking duties in the Bay Captain Pasi Järvelin and his crew are now testing her in the heavy ice of Bothnia. conditions in Bay of Bothnia. The first weeks have been successful. Pasi Järvelin, the Captain of the new difference to traditional icebreakers is highlight my appreciation for Mika Finnish icebreaker Polaris , has worked Polaris' agility. Her rate of turn is more Hovilainen and Esa Hakanen at Aker forty years on the sea, all over the world. than 200° in a minute. I believe the third Arctic as well as Jyrki Lehtonen and He has sailed around the world, spent in the bow will make Polaris the Harri Eronen at ILS, all of whom had several months in Antarctica, worked unchallenged dancer on the ice fields, as significant roles in the successful offshore, steered Nordica through the we say in Finnish.” design,” Järvelin says. Northern Sea Route from Alaska to “The vessel is very pleasant to steer, Europe and managed icebreakers for the but the driver has to pay attention to First weeks of icebreaking past thirty years. sudden moves because she is extremely Polaris is now in Bay of Bothnia for her When the planning of Polaris began in easy to turn around. In ice situations, the first season of icebreaking. This area is 2013, Captain Järvelin joined the bow pod has to keep moving all the the most difficult around Finland in winter concept team in order to give his input time.” due to the combination of freezing on what is needed in a modern Captain Järvelin mentions other temperatures and strong winds. icebreaker. His responsibilities were special features such as quite a sharp Icebreaking and escorting services are icebreaking, cranes, interior design, the bow and the steadiness when steering performed jointly with Sweden and there bridge, dynamic positioning (DP) and oil ahead. “The oil spill response system in are currently five Finnish and Swedish response. case of oil accidents and the 'no icebreakers in the area to ensure safe compromise approach' regarding travels at all times. “The advantage is that I know icebreaking are exceptional features in “The first two weeks have been very this modern icebreaker.” successful,” Järvelin reports from Bay of the ship inside out. I know Polaris is also the first dual-fuelled Bothnia. “We have assisted thirty exactly how she will behave in icebreaker able to use both low-sulphur merchant vessels but only one needed different situations and what marine diesel and LNG as fuel. towing, as the are extremely “Her scheduled life-time is fifty years and efficient. The left pod turns in the she is capable of,” Järvelin LNG is the future,” Järvelin emphasises. counter-clockwise direction and the right says. “Furthermore, we don't discharge any pod in clockwise direction, which means waste or grey water to the sea, not even that the flushing effect keeps most of the Captain Järvelin was also involved full- shower water. Everything is transported ice away from the bulb of the assisted time in writing the specification and to the shore every ten days when part of vessel. We have received plenty of supervising the construction work at the crew is exchanged, the vessel positive feedback from customer ships Helsinki Shipyard together with his refuelled and fresh groceries stocked.” for this feature.” experienced colleagues Björn “Dislodging vessels stuck in ice has Fagerström, Jarmo Paajanen and Juha Successful design been performed with speed and Hiltunen. “I went every day to the Polaris is based on the Aker ARC 130 elegance. Most of the time we have shipyard for two years, which taught me concept developed by Aker Arctic in needed only two or three engines, but in a lot about the vessel.” cooperation with ILS and the Finnish a few cases in stormy weather where the Transport Agency. merchant vessel was in hard ice Quick movements “Cooperation with Aker Arctic and ILS pressure, we used all four engines for a Polaris is a powerful icebreaker with a have been excellent during the entire quicker relief. Although winter is only triple azimuth solution: two propulsion project. Suggestions were always beginning, it is already clear that the units in the stern and one in the bow. positively received and changes were vessel specifications will be met,” “From a users perspective, the biggest made swiftly. I would especially like to Järvelin says.

10 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Model testing of Ice Strengthened Lifeboat

Over the past few years, Aker Arctic Canada, in partnership with Robert Allan Ltd., has been working on the design of an Ice Strengthened Lifeboat (ISL) to meet the demands of the offshore industry.

Model testing with ISL in 50cm thick pack ice conditions.

ISL model making forward progress in 15cm Level ice. Ice strengthened lifeboat (ISL).

The design of ISL addresses the Although the original project ended due encouraging,” says Mike Neville, Aker challenges with Escape, Evacuation, and to the downturn of the US economy in Arctic's project manager for the project. Rescue (EER) in Arctic environments 2008, Aker Arctic Canada helped to that have been outlined in the Polar revive the project in 2012, thanks to “The ISL's performance in Code and other research on lifeboats in funding from Petroleum Research open water exceeds that of cold climates. Heating and insulation, Newfoundland and Labrador (PRNL). traditional TEMPSC (totally additional space, and endurance have all In 2016, with funding support from been addressed by the design. In PRNL and Research Development enclosed motor propelled addition, the ISL has the capability of Corporation (RDC) the design underwent survival craft), while having the tolerating dynamic pack ice conditions by a series of model testing and numerical added ability of being able to using a hull form based on the 19th analysis work led by Aker Arctic Canada. century Norwegian ship Fram, which The purpose of the tests was to transit in pack ice.” prevents it from being crushed by in demonstrate the capabilities of the ISL in Although the original concept of the ISL pressured ice conditions. The propulsion both open water and ice. Self-propulsion was to be capable of being launched in has been recessed into a tunnel, which model tests were therefore conducted in all conditions, and keep the crew safe allows the craft to be launched onto the calm water, waves up to “5” m, and in either on or in the ice until help could ice without damaging the propulsion various pack ice conditions. arrive, the tests have shown that the ISL system. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was also has the ability to transit in a variety The original design was conceived in used to extrapolate results into wave of pack ice regimes and even in level ice. 2002 by Robin Browne, and was conditions up to 7.5 m. developed by Robert Allan Ltd as part of. “We are still in the process of Text by Evan Martin, an oil industry joint industry project. analysing the data, but initial results are Aker Arctic Canada

11 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Basics about ice, Part 1: Ice properties and ice resistance Icebreakers and ice-going vessels continuously encounter changing ice conditions during their operation. When developing such vessels, the designer must recognize which ice conditions are relevant and how they affect the vessel design. Typically, four main ice types are considered: level ice, drift ice, brash ice and ice ridges.

Level ice is an intact, continuous ice cover, which is typically Drift ice is a broken ice field consisting of ice floes of various encountered in coastal and sheltered waters where the ice sizes. This is the most common ice condition in open sea because cover is frozen to the coastline and islands. It is uncommon in wind and waves break the ice. Wind can also drive the drift ice open seas due to wind and waves. Although level ice is less into ice packs or ridges. Coverage is given in tenths i.e. 0/10 open encountered in nature, it is used as the basis when defining water, 10/10 complete ice. If the ice coverage is less than 5/10, the icebreaking capability of an ice-going vessel, because ice generally does not impede vessel passage. vessel capabilities are then easier to test, calculate and compare.

Brash ice and ice channels form on shipping lanes and in Ice ridges are accumulated ice blocks and rubble formed harbour basins as a result of regular traffic and constant when wind and current push ice floes against each other. icebreaking activity. These ice blocks are roughly spherical with The total thickness can be tens of metres and the ice blocks a diameter smaller than can additionally freeze together to form a consolidated 2 m, and the thickness of the ice mass grows faster than that of ridge. This is typically the most challenging ice obstacle the surrounding level ice. Ice blocks near the surface level may encountered by ice-going vessels in all freezing seas, and freeze back together, creating a thick consolidated layer. In in particular in coastal areas such as the channels the thickness of the ice mass increases towards and the in the Baltic Sea, and the Kara Sea channel edges, which can make breaking out from a channel in the Russian Arctic. very challenging. This is the typical operational environment for merchant ships in e.g. the Baltic Sea.

Wind can create compressive stresses in a drift ice field. When ice presses against the sides of the vessel, ice resistance increases considerably. If a vessel gets stuck in ice, it may result in ice damage if the hull structures cannot withstand the compression in the ice field. This also means that the channel behind the icebreaker closes and escorting merchant ships becomes more difficult.

Icebergs are large ice blocks calved from glaciers. Formed in high pressure over hundreds, even thousands of years, the ice is very clear and extremely hard. Ships should avoid coming in contact with icebergs, and ice management vessels should Ice conditions steer icebergs away from offshore structures. Small icebergs In addition to the four different types of ice generally such as growlers and bergy bits are especially dangerous, as considered in the design process, there are two additional ice they are difficult to detect and colliding with them at high speed features worth noting, namely compressive ice fields and could sink a ship. Icebergs are typically not taken into account icebergs. 12 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 in ice-going vessel design, as they are to be avoided. Not even The modern method is to use the propeller flushing effect to the biggest and strongest icebreakers in the world can reduce friction and dislodge ice blocks. It is possible to use withstand collision with an iceberg, contrary to common beliefs. bow propellers, as in traditional Baltic icebreakers. The active Ice can also be either first-year or multi-year ice. In the Baltic flushing is done with azimuth thrusters. Double-acting cargo Sea and most of the Arctic and Antarctic, the ice is first-year ships can also move in the astern direction. If the vessel is kept ice. This ice is more porous than multi-year ice. The maximum in continuous motion, there is no danger of getting stuck in the thickness depends on the geographical location, e.g. one ice. metre in the Baltic Sea and up to two metres in the Arctic. Ice that has survived more than one summer period is called Ice resistance multi-year ice. It has lower salinity and porosity, and is hard The ice resistance is the added resistance from the icebreaking and often thick. Glacial ice is an extreme case of multi-year ice, process, which the vessel needs to overcome in addition to which can be up to a thousand years old. Ships should avoid hydrodynamic resistance. The ice resistance as a whole is a and circumnavigate multi-year ice whenever possible. result of different stages of the icebreaking process such as crushing, bending and submersion of the ice floes. Ice failure process Icebreaking and ice-going capability are typically defined for Ice can be broken in two different ways: either by crushing or level ice, because vessel capabilities are then easier to by bending. Ice loads and resistance become very high in calculate, test and compare. crushing, and the power needed to crush the ice can be up to For special purpose vessels, icebreaking capability can also be ten times higher than is needed for bending. The hull must also defined e.g. for thick brash ice or other ice conditions. What is be much stronger. Therefore bending is the optimal way of essential is that icebreaking is a complex process and breaking the ice, as it is much more efficient. Even very thick numerical simulation of icebreaking is very difficult. Empirical ice can be broken with reasonable propulsion power. methods and physical testing are much faster ways to get A traditional icebreaking bow bends the ice downwards, and information and predict performance. sloping sides improve manoeuvring.

Crushing at shoulder

Breaking by bending and rotating ice floes against the hull at waterline Crushing at stem

Displacing ice floes to the side

Submerging ice floes under the bottom

Icebreaking in level ice In level ice, the first way in which ice fails is by bending against the bow of the vessel. Crushing may also occur near the stem and shoulders, but one of the design goals is to minimise this. The broken ice floes rotate against the sides of the vessel, after which the ice is displaced to the sides and submerged under the bottom as the vessel moves forward. The second way ice fails is through friction between steel and ice as floes slide along the hull. In which ice-going vessels typically operate, the ice resistance increases linearly as a function of speed in the speed range.

Icebreaking in channels and ridges If ice is already broken, the ice resistance is primarily a result of displacing the ice mass around and under the vessel, while part of the resistance comes from compressing the ice mass surrounding the hull. Even vessels with no independent icebreaking capability and limited propulsion power may be able to operate independently in ice channels.

Penetrating ice ridges The traditional method to penetrate ice ridges is “ramming and backing”. The mass and momentum of the vessel is used to drive the hull through the ice feature. However, there is a danger of getting stuck in ice if the vessel cannot back away from the ridge. In order to break free, heeling and trimming systems or air bubbling can be used. Basics about ice, Part 2: Special features of vessels operating in ice. Read more in next issue of Arctic Passion News. 13 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Harmonising model tests for power requirements

Aker Arctic and Aalto University have started a joint project with the aim to develop the model test methods for defining vessels' power requirements according to the Finnish-Swedish Ice Class Rules.

Today there are no guidelines in the Finnish-Swedish Ice Class Rules on how to define brash ice channel properties in the ice model tests to define a vessel's power requirements. The power requirements of the Varied results “We have gathered information from the Finnish-Swedish Ice Class Rules At the moment, ice model basins main facilities worldwide, developed a (FSICR) can be defined by model conduct tests for ice class certification standardised method for making an ice tests. The tests are conducted in an with different methods. Some facilities channel as well as defined the ice channel where the thickness and conduct propulsion testsPhoto: with Aalto a Universityfree parameters for the two different ice width is defined by the guidelines. running model, and others use towed channels we intend to use in the However, practice has shown that the propulsion tests; this variety of systems research,” Leiviskä explains. model brash ice properties strongly may lead to variation in results. The “The next step is to test the two affect the ice resistance of vessels, results may also differ depending on the channels with a model of an existing and these properties are not well ice and channel properties. It is ship in two ice model basins. Tests will defined. therefore essential to harmonise the be conducted in two defined ice sheets methods as much as possible. and they will be repeated in each “There are currently no Aker Arctic and Aalto University have channel once. The channels will then be started a joint project with the target of reconstructed and the tests repeated in guidelines for instance defining the needed channel properties all channels at least three times, both in regarding the size of the ice and production methods. These will our model basin and in Aalto's basin.” blocks, level ice strength, also be verified in two model test The project will be ready by the end facilities at Aalto University and Aker of 2017. cohesion nor porosity,” head Arctic. Both institutes have a long “We hope to then have good of the ice model testing experience in ice model tests and good recommendations for procedures on laboratory Topi Leiviskä knowledge in testing and model ice how to prepare the brash ice channels preparation procedures. As part of the used for the definition of the power says. project, all main facilities, which are requirement with ice model tests members of ITTC ice committee, have according to the FSIC Rules,” Leviskä been asked to comment on their says. procedures and channel properties.

14 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017

University students in model tests

Naval Architect students learning to prepare ice at the ice laboratory. Aker Arctic regularly employs Many of these students eventually do Lehtonen also worked during his students who are studying to their master's thesis for Aker Arctic, and summer holidays at Aker Arctic, and become Naval Architects to start working full-time after graduation. when his studies advanced he began help out part-time at the ice One of our newest employees, Jesse helping out in more demanding tasks in Lehtonen, began his career at Aker ship design. In his master's thesis he laboratory. They help in e.g. Arctic as a part-time employee during his studied simulation of propulsion system preparing the ice, forming the studies. dynamics under propeller-ice interaction. ice to channels or ridges, “I visited Aker Arctic for the first time From January 2017, Lehtonen is a full- four years ago, with Aalto University's time employee working with machinery measuring the ice, and in Shipbuilder's club,” Jesse Lehtonen system design. filming the actual tests. says. “It is an excellent idea to have a “Topi Leiviskä asked me to come for an student pool. I don't know of any other “In this way the students get acquainted interview the next day, and I began engineering office offering a similar with working life, they earn a bit of working one or two days a week at the system for younger students,” Lehtonen money, and they also learn about ice laboratory, helping out with preparing says. “It has provided me and many icebreaking and other technical topics,” the ice, equipping the vessel models and others with working experience and Topi Leiviskä says. assisting during tests.” interesting job opportunities.”

Jesse Lehtonen started his career at Aker Arctic as a part-time employee during his studies and is now working full-time with machinery system design.

15 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Intelligent de-icing for winterisation needs Finnish companies Aker Arctic and Pistesarjat have jointly founded a new company that provides intelligent de-icing systems for winterisation needs. Ilkka Rantanen from Aker Arctic is stepping in to lead the new company Starkice Oy.

W interisation is a general term for solutions needed in vessels, platforms and equipment to function efficiently in freezing conditions. Examples are passages and stairs, which need heating in order not to become slippery, or doors, handles, hatches and machinery that need de-icing to function properly, and decks, which need to be kept ice-free for cargo space. “Many modern Arctic vessels and offshore structures have a system in place for de-icing, because it is needed to be able to work properly when temperatures go below freezing point,” Ilkka Rantanen explains. “However, until now these systems have been manually controlled, which means they are either turned on or turned off, and can easily be in the wrong mode.” “The idea with our new Intelligent De-Icing System (IDS) is that in addition to the heating element intelligent software is included. This controls the de-icing function based on actual physical ice-accumulation, not only temperature or humidity,” Rantanen says. “This brings significant cost savings, because heating is only activated when it is really needed. It also means increased safety because walking areas are not slippery, and it frees people from control functions and manual de-icing work.” Remote supervision The de-icing system is set to work automatically, but all the details are Winterisation is needed in many areas available on the control system, which on a vessel or platform in order to keep works even on a tablet. This remote areas ice-free and functioning properly in control system allows supervision of freezing conditions. the system even from the other side of the world if needed. Fully automated cargo loading constructions can in the future work on their own, because no e.g. cruise ships with heated paths to people are required on site to make the pool where people can walk sure the system is ready to operate. barefoot in winter. There is obvious Development work has been market potential.” ongoing for nearly two years. The first “Two world-leading companies in pilots are now underway, where their own fields have joined forces and information and practical experience created a much-needed contractor for about the system in a harsh winterisation services. Now all environment is gathered. It is ready to components and a fully functional use for interested customers system delivery can be ordered from immediately. one location.” Rantanen visualises other potential areas for Starkice Oy in addition to Ilkka Rantanen from Aker Arctic is safety and cargo handling. “Think of Read more from www.starkice.com head of the new company Starkice.

33 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 The Finnish economy relies on icebreakers

Icebreakers and followed How did Finland become a Sisu and Urho in the 1980's. The multipurpose vessels Fennica and top-class icebreaker designer Nordica were built during the 1990's, and constructor? As part of followed by IB Botnica in 1998. The the Finland 100 year newest addition to the Finnish icebreaker fleet is the LNG powered icebreaker celebration, the University of Polaris. Helsinki together with the Icebreakers are essential to this Finnish Transport Agency, country. Apart from their obvious function in making sure that the Finnish industry and the Society for can export products and Finland can Maritime History arranged a receive a steady flow of goods, the lecture about Finnish icebreakers also have a symbolic value for both the Finnish economy and icebreaker history. politics. Because of the need to have, build and design icebreakers, the Finnish Without icebreakers, Finland would have icebreakers were acquired from abroad government has supported companies been a completely different country. In and more seaports kept open year- developing icebreaking technology, the 19th century, and still today, ships round. In 1924 , the first Finnish made machinery needed in icebreaking as well transported most of the goods to and icebreaker was ready. However, after as ice know-how. Finland has therefore from Finland. During winters, the Baltic World War II, Finland had to give two of become the world-renowned country in Sea was frozen and as a result no goods its icebreakers to the , and this field that it is today, and other arrived nor departed Finland. This also the only way to get replacements was to countries can rely on Finnish expertise. meant unemployment and even possible build up Finland's own winter navigation Based on a presentation by PhD starvation during wintertime. The first industry. In the mid- 1970s, icebreakers student Aaro Sahari, University of icebreaker was bought from Sweden in Sisu and Urho were ready and from this Helsinki, in a research project on winter 18 89 and was used to keep the southern time twenty seaports around Finland seafaring with PhD student Saara seaport of Hanko open. Slowly more were kept open all year. Matala, Aalto University. Construction of Chinese research icebreaker has started The polar research icebreaker for the Polar research Institute of China (PRIC) is now in construction. It is being built at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, China.

Aker Arctic received the design contract and made the concept design for the highly advanced vessel in 2012 and carried out model tests in both open water and ice to verify the performance of the vessel. Tests were carried out in Aker Arctic's own ice laboratory in Helsinki, Finland. This was followed by an extensive amount of feasibility studies in 2013-2015, and basic design in 2016. Construction started recently at Jiangnan Shipyard. “Basic design is now completed and we will support the owner in the construction, especially in areas typical for icebreakers,” says project manager and head of ship design Kari Laukia, Aker Arctic. The vessel schedule has been confirmed independent operations in the operation These are for instance follow-up of and it is planned to be ready in 2019. areas for this vessel in Antarctica,” hull weight development, stability, hull “Once the trials begins, we will join some Laukia says. surface quality and hull form. of them. One of the most important is the “The end result is a highly successful “For example, hull form is an essential set of full-scale ice tests to verify that the design, and the customer seems to be part of our design. We have to make PColar lass 3 icebreaker manages up to very pleased with the result,” Laukia sure that the design targets in the areas 1.5 metre thick level ice with a 20 cm adds. which are critical for performance are snow cover. This is necessary for met,” Laukia explains.

17 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 French polar logistics vessel under construction

The Polar Logistics Vessel L’Astrolabe at Piriou shipyard in Concarneau , France.

The 72-metre Polar Logistics Vessel is a logistics ship and patrol icebreaker that can accommodate up to 60 persons on board, carry 1,200 tonnes of cargo and fit two helicopters. The new vessel will be delivered in summer 2017. It will be deployed to the Indian Ocean in autumn 2017, and will carry out the first supply Photo: PIRIOU Shipyard mission to the Dumont d'Urville Station in Adélie Land, Antarctica, in winter 2018. The Polar Logistics Vessel is based on a The construction of the new Polar Logistics Vessel for France concept developed by Marine Assistance is currently ongoing, and it is being outfitted and finalised at (France). Aker Arctic was responsible for the basic design of the vessel, and the shipyard in Concarneau, France. Specialists from Aker verified the icebreaking capability with Arctic have visited the hull building site to observe the ice model tests in Helsinki, Finland. In construction and to inspect the workmanship in relation to hull addition, Aker Arctic is providing technical support in hull and ice-related and ice-related matters in close relationship with French matters to the shipyard during the shipyard PIRIOU. construction of the vessel. Arctic condensate tanker under construction The gas condensate tanker designed for Yamal LNG, has moved into construction phase. The steel cutting ceremony was held in November 2016 in Guangzhou, China.

The basic design has been completed for the Arctic gas condensate tanker, which will be used to transport the valuable by-product of the natural gas fields in the Arctic. Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) is in the process of performing the detailed design and production design, as well as the first phases of construction. “Our role is now to support the shipyard in their detail design work, as well as in construction,” says project manager Riku Kiili. “When the vessel is ready and delivered, we will also be responsible for the full-scale testing in ice.” The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2018. She will be used year-round to transport gas condensate from Ob Bay to the Aerial view of the GSI Nanshan factory on Longxue Island markets in Europe and Asia. The tanker can later also be used where the Arctic condensate tanker is under construction. The for transporting various types of oil cargoes. shipyard is located outside Guangzhou city centre, in the Pearl Aker Arctic has designed the tanker to the Aker ARC 212 - River delta. Typical products are bulkers, tankers and general concept with a high Arc7 ice class of Russian Maritime cargo ships below 50.000 dwt, various ro-ro and heavy lift ships Register and with two 11 MW azimuth propulsion units to allow as well as ship repair and conversion jobs. Largest bulkers and independent operations in the demanding Arctic conditions she tankers delivered are in excess of 200,000 and 300,000 dwt will be facing. respectively. Antarctic Vessel for Chile

The Chilean Navy is in the process of acquiring a new icebreaking logistic support vessel for Antarctica, which will also be used for research and rescue operations. Aker Arctic is supporting Canada-based Vard Marine in the design of the hull form and will be performing the model tests as well.

Photo: Vard Marine Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 ITTC Ice Committee meeting at Aker Arctic The International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) was originally formed by open water model testing facilities to reach agreements on basic procedures and methods of presenting results. Today there are also other special technical areas included, such as the Specialist Committee on Ice, which tries to develop testing methods and guidelines for ice model testing. Head of research and testing services Topi Leiviskä represents Aker Arctic in From left: Mr Yinghui Wang (CSSRC, China), Dr Franz von Bock und Polach the Specialist Committee on Ice. He (Hamburg University of Technology, ), Prof. Akihisa Konno (Kogakuin hosted their meeting at Aker Arctic in University, Japan), Prof. Yan Huang (Tianjin University, China), Dr John Wang (NRC, February 2017. Other participants in the Canada), Mr Nils Reimer (HSVA, Germany), Mr Topi Leiviskä (Aker Arctic, Finland), committee are from Russia, Germany, Dr Kirill Sazonov (KSRC, Russia), Ms Natalia Fatieva (KSRC translator). Missing from Canada, China and Japan. the picture: Mr Mikko Suominen (Finland) and Dr David Molyneux (Canada). Novy Port icebreaker launched Aleksandr Sannikov, the first of two icebreakers under construction at Vyborg Shipyard for Gazprom Neft, was launched in November 2016, in order to make way for the hull assembly of the second vessel. Photo: Vyborg Shipyard

Both icebreakers are scheduled for Transport Agency. The new vessels will snow cover in both ahead and astern delivery in 2017 and will be deployed at use a similar propulsion concept directions, operate in thick consolidated the Arctic oil terminal operated by LLC consisting of three azimuth propulsion brash ice, and have excellent Gazprom Neft Novy Port in the Gulf of units: two in the stern and one in the bow manoeuvrability in all ice conditions. The Ob. Aleksandr Sannikov and her sister of the vessel. The propulsion power has excellent icebreaking capability has been ship are based on the Aker ARC 130 A been increased to 21.5 MW and ice successfully demonstrated with model concept design by Aker Arctic. The class to RMRS Icebreaker8 according to tests at Aker Arctic's ice laboratory in design is a further development of the the operational requirements of the Arctic Helsinki, Finland. Baltic escort icebreaker concept that was seas. The new icebreakers are designed originally developed for the Finnish to break 2 m thick level ice with 30 cm Ice load measurements on large diameter propellers In September 2016, Aker Arctic and Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN ) performed propeller tests to explore if propeller size could be increased for better efficiency. Five years ago Aker Arctic in co- requirement according to the ice class operation with MARIN of Netherlands rules is violated. With the ice model successfully carried out measurements tests, MARIN measured the actual of ice loads acting on the propeller propeller loads on the blades to show blades. As part of the LeanShip that the ice loads do not exceed the project, MARIN is now maximum allowable. Three different investigating the possibility of increasing types of propellers were tested in two the propeller size to gain better different loading conditions. Three efficiency. As the propeller diameter different sizes of ice disks were fed to increases, the propeller tip distance to the propeller flow, both in ahead and in the water surface decreases, and the astern mode. minimum propeller - hull clearance

19 Aker Arctic Technology Inc Newsletter March 2017 Virtual reality in ship design Aker Arctic is looking for possibilities to use virtual reality in ship designing, especially in bridge design. In co-operation with University of Turku, Mixed Reality Research Group and Meidänstudio graphic designer and visualisations company, Aker Arctic has developed a concept for an interactive virtual reality bridge design – the VR bridge. The VR bridge allows the operator to jump into the bridge of the vessel already during the design process, and to modify certain parameters to see how the various alternatives in the bridge design affect the visibility sectors and operability of the vessel. The first VR bridge concept was based on the new Finnish icebreaker Polaris , for which Aker Arctic made the concept design for the Finnish Traffic Agency. “We have received positive feedback about the virtual reality device from customers who have tried it,” sales and marketing manager Arto Uuskallio says. “The world itself is more visually appealing and originating from the gaming world, which is somewhat different from the typical VR world found in engineering VR systems.” The VR bridge allows the operator to jump The aim is that the VR bridge concept can be used in the into the bridge of the vessel already during early phase of a project, in co-operation with the operator, to the design process. select the optimum combination for bridge layout and equipment setup. Christmas party in Åland Every year, Aker Arctic employees plan some fun get-together before Christmas. This time the destination was Åland, an autonomous group of islands situated in the Baltic Sea between mainland Finland and Sweden. We all gathered at Helsinki airport for an early departure in the end of November. On arrival to Mariehamn, the capital of The Maritime Museum in Åland covers the maritime Åland, we were transferred by bus to the Maritime Museum. history from the 18th century farmer-seafaring to Åland consists of 6700 islands and has therefore a strong modern global shipping. maritime history. The collections in the museum cover all aspects of Åland's maritime history from 18th century farmer- seafaring to modern global shipping. The world-class collections have been built up through the generous donations of individuals, shipping companies and other businesses. After lunch we visited Åland University of Applied Sciences, where the headmaster Edvard Johansson gave us a general overview of the University and the programs they offer. Project leader Anna Friebe held an interesting presentation on the Sailing Robots project. Mariehamn is a beautiful seaside city, and is very pleasant to explore on foot. We had some time to walk around before dinner at a local restaurant, followed by the arrival of Santa Claus with a huge bag of gifts. We had all been really good last year! In the late evening we boarded the ferry to Helsinki, which brought us safely home the next morning. Santa brought us many gifts! Meet us here! We will participate in the following events: LNG Congress Russia, Moscow Maritime & Naval Test & Development Aker Arctic Technology Inc’s newsletter ISSN 2342-7965, ISSN 2342-7973 15 - 17 March 2017 Symposium, Amsterdam Publisher: Aker Arctic Technology Inc 6 - 8 June 2017 Merenkulkijankatu 6 Arctic Exchange, Stockholm 00980 Helsinki, Finland 23 March 2017 NEVA, St. Petersburg Tel. +358 10 323 6300 Fax +358 10 323 6400 International Arctic Forum, 19 - 22 September 2017 [email protected] www.akerarctic.fi Arkhangelsk, Russia Marintec China 2017, Shanghai Editor in chief: Reko-Antti Suojanen 29 - 30 March 2017 5 - 8 December 2017 Texts by : CS Communications Oy L:ay-out Kari Selonen Arctic Shipping Forum, Helsinki Printed in March 2017 by Grano 25 - 28 April 2017

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