Arctic Passion News No 10 September 2015 Baltika excels in Arctic ice trials The world's first oblique icebreaker surpassed all expectations Baltika surpassed all design criteria, even though the ice was stronger than typical when she was tested in ice in March–April 2015. Although sea ice. The oblique mode, which had Baltika was designed to operate primarily in the Gulf of Finland, never been tested before in real life, also she was taken to the Gulf of Ob, where the ice conditions are worked extremely well and the vessel more challenging than in the Baltic Sea, for ice trials. fulfilled all the design requirements. Baltika's maiden voyage began at her home port, St. Petersburg, on 6 March 2015. While on her way to Murmansk off the coast of Norway, the vessel encountered rough seas and winds up to 30 m/s. The seakeeping characteristics of the oblique icebreaker were good, and the owner was convinced thatBaltika is able to take part in rescue operations even in harsh weather. Ice trials "We departed for the ice trials from Murmansk on 20 March 2015 and sailed around the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya to the Gulf of Ob and close to the Sabetta terminal area," project manager Mika Hovilainen says. "Our purpose was firstly to demonstrate the vessel's abilities Ice trials were conducted in the Gulf of Ob during the worst winter conditions. The during the worst part of the year, and voyage took three weeks in total. secondly to perform official ice trials." The Aker Arctic team consisted of Mika The testing programme consisted of The thickness and strength of the ice was Hovilainen, research engineer Teemu performance tests in three ice measured in the areas where tests were Heinonen, and project engineers Esko thicknesses in ahead and astern carried out using both temperature and Huttunen and Tuomas Romu. In addition, directions as well as in the oblique mode. salinity profiles as well as beam tests. An there were representatives from the Various operational tests were also automatic measurement system was set builders, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard and carried out in order to determine the up to record ice loads on the ship's hull Yantar Shipyard JSC, as well as from the manoeuvrability and operational throughout the three-week voyage, which ship owner. capability of the vessel. concluded in Murmansk on1 0 April 2015. 10 Arctic Passion News No 10 September 2015 The testing programme consisted of performance tests in three ice thicknesses in ahead and astern directions as well as in the oblique mode. Teemuand Esko are measuring Temperature was about -10 degrees Celsius. Mika Hovilainen measuring temperature and salinity profiles from core the ice thickness. samples in order to determine the flexural In addition to ice measurements, the Aker sideways, the relatively small oblique strength of the ice. Arctic team used a remotely operated icebreakercould create a wide channel quadcopter to record unique video in ice. footage ofBaltika 's journey as well as to "We tested the oblique icebreaking first “We tested the vessel in level look for passages through particularly in ice 10 to 15 cm thick in order to learn ice 40 cm, 90 cm and 1.2 difficult ice fields. The quadcopter allowed how the navigation system works and the team to get an overview of the ice how the vessel behaves," Mr Hovilainen metres thick. She surpassed conditions ahead of the vessel from an explains. "Navis Engineering Oy has the required performance altitude of 500 metres. created a special joystick function to use targets by a great margin in The video footage can be found at with the Dynamic Positioning (DP) https://www.youtube.com/user/akerarctic system for this purpose. The oblique both ahead and astern angle and speed are entered into the directions, even though the ice Oblique mode in real life computer and then the DP system takes strength properties were The oblique mode, which had never been care of maintaining the heading. While tested before in real life, also worked the joystick function worked really well, double the specified ones," extremely well and the vessel fulfilled all we also tried navigating manually but it Mr Hovilainen emphasises. the design requirements. By moving was challenging without any practice. 11 Arctic Passion News No 10 September 2015 Thus, a DP system is essential for Half the propulsion power oblique icebreaking." According to Mika Hovilainen,Baltika 's In ice 40 cm thick, the vessel was voyage to the Gulf of Ob proves the capable of achieving a speed of two exceptional operational capability of the knots when the angle of attack – the oblique icebreaker concept in very difference between course and heading difficult ice conditions. – was 85 degrees. In ice 90 cm thick, a “The vessel was able to operate in ice small oblique angle of about 15 degrees conditions that exceeded the design was still possible. criteria used as the basis of the vessel "The angle can be selected individually; concept.Baltika carried out the same there are no pre-set choices," Mr operations as conventional icebreakers Hovilainen adds. "With a smaller angle of with just half of the propulsion power, as attack, the channel width is reduced but well as performed manoeuvres that are the vessel speed increases – and vice not possible for any other vessel versa.” currently in service.” Rubble clearing and ice management "This is a big step in the direction we performance were also tested in the port want to go: more efficient icebreaking of Sabetta.Baltika demonstrated operations that use less fuel and produce excellent manoeuvrability and capability reduced emissions, thus taking the Baltika carried out the same in both tasks. environment into consideration. This operations as conventional icebreakers concept proves that we have succeeded with just half of the propulsion power, as in reaching a new level of icebreaking well as performed manoeuvres that are efficiency," Mr Hovilainen says. not possible for any other vessel currently in service. Level Ice Thickness versus Speed Oblique angle versus speed 16 90 80 14 70 26.3.2015, 45 cm Level Ice 28.3.2015, 94 cm Level Ice 60 12 50 Requirement 40 10 Ahead 30 Astern 8 20 Oblique angle [deg] 10 Speed [kn] 6 0 0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3,5 Speed [kn] 4 The oblique angle can be chosen individually ; there are no pre-set choices. The vessel moves more slowly with a wide 2 angle in order to create a wide channel. - 0 0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2 1,4 Ice Thickness [m] Baltika was teste d in level ice 40 cm, 90 cm and 1.2 metres thick. She surpassed the demands in both ahead and asterndirections . Oblique icebreaker began with an innovation contest The oblique icebreaker more than 40 metres would be concept was the result of an used for transporting oil, internal innovation contest in escorted by at least two the late 1990s. New oil icebreakers due to their large terminals were planned for the size unless other solutions Gulf of Finland, and an could be found. analysis was conducted of how The innovation contest the transport situation in the resulted in the first version of Baltic Sea would develop. The the sideways-moving conclusion was that Aframax- icebreaker. sized tankers with a beam of The first model was constructed in 1997. 12 Arctic Passion News No 10 September 2015 By moving sideways, the icebreaker can extremely well and the vessel fulfilled all Arctic is currently developing. The heavy- create a wide channel for big tankers. The the design requirements. duty oblique icebreaker, Aker ARC 100 first model tests were carried out in 1997 Aker ARC 130 A, the new icebreaker HD, will be updated based on and the invention was patented. The design for the Novy Port project, does not experiences fromBaltika 's full-scale ice decision to build the Primorsk oil terminal have an asymmetric hull form, but trials as well as from the icebreaker was made in 1999, and later that year the otherwise shares a number of features concept for the Novy Port project. oblique icebreaker's hull was updated and with a heavy-duty oblique icebreaker Aker ice model tests continued. Then came the idea to use the ship to help in recovering spilled oil, and the oil spill response patent was received in 2002. Systematic further development took place jointly with the Finnish Maritime Administration, the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), ABB and Aker Arctic, partly funded by Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation. Decision to construct In 2003, the newly developed project was introduced to the authorities in Finland Technical specifications Three 2.5 MW Steerprop SP60PULL and Russia. The vessel received azimuth thrusters, two in the stern and Built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard widespread attention due to the one in the bow (Helsinki, Finland) in co-operation with exceptional concept, but it was not Shipyard Yantar JSC (Kaliningrad, Dynamic positioning system developed realised until 2010, when Sovcomflot's Russia) by Navis Engineering CEO Sergey Frank finally made the initiative for a memorandum of Based on Aker Arctic's oblique Classification by the Russian Maritime cooperation on the further development of icebreaker design, Register of Shipping with ice class the oblique icebreaker vessel. Aker ARC 100. Icebreaker6 However, the Russian Ministry of Length: 76.4 metres Built-in oil recovery system Transport became the contractor of the Beam: 20.5 metres Owner: Federal Agency for Maritime and ship, and in October 2011 Arctech Helsinki Draft: 6.3 metres Shipyard and Yantar JSC were jointly River Transport of Russia awarded the contract to build the first Diesel-electric power plant consisting of (Rosmorrechflot) oblique icebreaker based on Aker Arctic's three Wärtsilä 9L26 generating sets with Operator: Russian Marine Emergency design, Aker ARC 100.