Ice Navigation in the 21st Century: Developing Basic and Advanced Ice Navigation Certification Classes under the New Polar Code

Captain Ralph Pundt Maine Maritime Academy MMA - Training for the Arctic

• Maine Maritime Academy professors and students have enjoyed a long history and fascination with the polar regions. • As the caretakers of Donald MacMillan’s arctic exploration vessel the schooner Bowdoin, MMA students have a unique opportunity to embrace the past, while looking towards the future in the Arctic. • Under the new Polar Code, mariners sailing in Arctic and Antarctic waters will be required to have certificates in ice navigation. • All deck officers standing watches are required to have a basic ice navigation certificate. • Masters and first mates are required to have an advanced ice navigation certificate.

From Sail To Satellite: The old and the new….. The Old….. The Schooner Bowdoin • Commissioned by explorer Donald B. MacMillan in 1921, Bowdoin has made 21 trips above the Arctic Circle, 18 of them before 1954 under the command of MacMillan. She spent two winters in the ice. • MacMillan sold Bowdoin to the U.S. Navy for use in World War II on the Greenland Patrol. After WWII, MacMillan bought the ship back and continued to sail her for nine more years around Greenland. • After MacMillan’s retirement the boat belonged to the Schooner Bowdoin Association until 1988 when Maine Maritime Academy purchased the vessel for the purpose of training students. • The Bowdoin has made three voyages above the Arctic Circle since she came to MMA in 1988 as well as trips to Newfoundland and Labrador and regular visits to Nova Scotia. What’s changed? What hasn’t changed…. • As the ice recedes and the world once again seeks a “reliable” passage across the Arctic, we look toward technology and historical data to provide the means to reduce the risks associated with the safe passages through the waters of the Arctic.

Despite the advances in technology and the data provided through decades of scientific exploration, the general concerns remain the same:

• Prediction of the location and movement of the ice • Timely and accurate prediction of the weather patterns • Location and depths of the water In the early years of Arctic travel the best available method for defining the extent of the ice was for someone to climb the mast for a “height of eye” vantage point.

Later balloons, aircraft, and now satellites are being used to provide a better vantage point for observing the ice.

But as always, the Polar regions continue to add limitations in the way of cloud or fog cover which would limit the effectiveness of human technology. • Improvements in radar and satellite technologies can provide the mariner with timely ice information. • Ice prediction models are being developed to provide long term and short term ice forecasting abilities. • These are impressive tools and will help reduce the Arctic transit risks, but they require special training for the end users. • Hydrographic information is improving but will require continuous updating as the ocean bottoms shift in the shallow waters of the Arctic region. • Much of the depth data is reliant on the explorations in the early 1900’s or before. • Ships are larger and deeper than in the past and the consequences of striking bottom can be devastating to the marine environment. • Much can be learned about ice movement from the Inuit and native hunters of the high north who have developed generations of practical experiences. • However, whatever system they have developed to understand the ice movement, means little as the ice recedes at historical rates - everything is changing quickly. • We must continue to support efforts which will mitigate the risks associated with Arctic transits. • If not, we will experience a greater volume of sea- going traffic through the Arctic without the needed safe guards. • In an areas where the infrastructure for search and rescue or pollution response is extremely limited, we must continue to support all efforts which will mitigate the risks. It comes down to experience and training. • If new equipment is being introduced to mitigate the risks; training is required • If ice types and movements will affect the passage plan; training is required • If the environment is at risk and regulations are in place to protect it; training is required • If there are state or international regulations which must be adhered to; training is required

Ships, fog , foul weather, limited charted information, and ice is a recipe for disaster. Moving ice, and unpredictable weather continue to beset ships, even with modern technology. The stakes are higher as the ship size and personnel at risk increase in an area with limited search and rescue capabilities.

Therefore it is important that those who have the experience and have studied the conditions in the Polar regions, share their knowledge , and that the coastal states provide the needed resources to insure that risks associated with the Polar transits can be mitigated to an acceptable level In 2015, MMA was given a grant to develop the certification classes for US mariners to comply with the new provisions of the Polar Code effective January 1, 2017.

To date, the basic ice navigation class has been finished and submitted to the USCG for both blended (online class and a test at a qualified testing center) and classroom delivery.

The advanced ice navigation class is in progress. This class will also be offered in two versions and will include bridge simulations for navigating ice-covered waters.

"We must always remember with gratitude and admiration the first sailors who steered their vessels through storms and mists, and increased our knowledge of the lands of ice in the South." -Roald Amundsen (1872—1928).

Acknowlegements:

The Department of Homeland Security for providing the funding to develop the ice navigation classes.

The Arctic Domain Awareness Center for granting the funding to develop these classes.

The US Coast Guard for guidance and advice

The faculty, staff, and students of Maine Maritime Academy who have assisted with class development and served as “guinea pigs” for the first basic ice navigation class