Tag Archives: Arctic
Don’t expect the Northern Sea Route to be croweded any time soon
Although it’s possible to pilot large cargo vessels through Arctic Waters, there are a number of reasons why it is not particularly attractive to operators. You know… icebergs an’ all that. Getting insurance can be a bit of a bugger, too.
Arctic Shipping Route Plagued by Icebergs and Insurance
The new shipping route opened up through the Arctic by climate change will not be crowded any time soon.
Cargoes of coal, diesel and gas have made the trip but high insurance costs, slow going and strict environmental rules mean there will not be a rush to follow them.
Looser ice means icebergs. One vessel has already been holed, and large ice breaking vessels, not always on hand, are a must.
“Significant safety and navigational concerns remain an obstacle to commercial shipping in the Northern Sea route, despite recent media reports of ‘successful’ transits,” said Richard Hurley, a senior analyst at shipping intelligence publisher IHS Maritime.
“AIS (ship) tracking of vessels in the area shows all vessels are subject to deviation from direct routes as a result of ice, and many areas still cannot be navigated safely without the presence of large icebreakers able to provide assistance such as lead through to clearer waters.”
Last month, a dry bulk vessel carrying coal from Canada passed through the Northwest Passage to deliver a cargo to Finland, in a trip its operators said would save $80,000 worth of fuel and cut shipping time by a week.
The world’s top oil trader Vitol brought tankers in October with Asian diesel to Europe via the Northern Sea route over Russia, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs.
The fast-growing liquefied natural gas market, in which Arctic players like Russia and Norway play a big role, has also seen maiden Arctic voyages.
Hurley said the passage of the Yong Sheng cargo vessel in August from China to Europe via the Northern Sea was only possible with the aid of the world’s largest nuclear powered icebreaker, 50 Let Pobedy, to get it through the Lapatev Sea. Ship tracking showed only four large icebreakers were available at any one time to cover the whole Northern sea route.
Separately, a small Russian oil products tanker was holed in September in the Kara Sea, also off Russia.
“Even though damage was minimal and did not cause a pollution incident, the holing revealed fragility of emergency help,” Hurley said. “Taken together, all the inherent dangers and concerns over potential Arctic pollution count heavily against time and cost savings alone when assessing the commercial viability of the seaway.”
INSURANCE AND CONTAINERS
The market is also still nascent for insurers.
“The key obstacle here will remain the insurance, as it’s still simply too risky a proposition for standard commercial insurers,” said Michael Frodl of U.S.-based consultancy C-Level Maritime Risks, who advises insurers.
“The ships aren’t ready, the support facilities and port infrastructure are not yet in place, and the risks haven’t been figured out enough to price insurance correctly.”
Others say the commercial potential is unlikely to be viable for container ships, which transport consumer goods, partly as trade flows develop beyond China in coming decades towards other regions including Africa and South America.
“The further away global trade moves from a totally China-centric export pattern, the more a short ‘polar’ route looses its appeal,” said Jan Tiedemann, shipping analyst with consultancy Alphaliner.
“The Southern route – even if longer – will always have the advantage of serving numerous markets at the same time. Think of the Middle East. Think of transshipment via the (Malacca) Straits to Australia and New Zealand. Think of transshipment in Arabia for East Africa. Think of Med and Black Sea loops.”
Until recent years harsh weather conditions, which can drop to 40 to 50 degrees centigrade below zero, had limited Arctic shipping mostly to small freighters and ice-breakers that supplied northern communities in Canada, Norway or Russia.
According to French ship classification society Bureau Veritas, there were 40 Arctic route trading voyages in 2012 for all vessel classes including oil tankers, with around one million tonnes of cargo moved. That compared with 700 million tonnes transported through the Suez canal.
Knut Espen Solberg of Norwegian shipping and offshore classification group Det Norske Veritas, said dry bulk vessels carrying coal were best suited for Arctic shipping as the potential for environmental potential was less.
“Oil and container spills have a much bigger potential environmental impact than coal, so their shipping is likely to be restricted heavily,” said Solberg, a former Arctic mariner.
First bulk carrier makes its way through Northwest Passage
Nordic Orion is a Panama-registered bulk carrier (40,142 GRT) built by Oshima, Japan and launched in 2011 and operated by Nordic Bulk Carriers. Considered an “ice bulker” the Nordic Orion is 1A for summer/autumn operation in thin-to-medium first-year ice. The shorter direct route from Vancouver, Canada to Poli, Finland saves time & fuel… allowing the Nordic Orion to carry 25% more cargo.
Danish firm seeks to be first to bring bulk carrier through Northwest Passage
The Nordic Orion along the Northern Sea Route – north coast of Russia in this undated handout photo.
Earlier this month, the ice-strengthened bulk carrier Nordic Orion was loaded with coal at a Vancouver terminal. From there, it headed to Finland via the Northwest Passage, undertaking a voyage that could make it the first commercial bulk carrier to traverse the route since the SS Manhattan broke through in 1969.
The Northwest Passage sailing marks another milestone for Nordic Bulk Carriers, the Danish company that owns the ship and has staked its future on northern routes. But it is a bigger breakthrough for international trade and for the fabled waterway, which defied early explorers’ efforts to map its bays and channels and led many to an icy grave. Now, with its ice cover changing and receding and a bulk carrier poised to plow through it, the Northwest Passage stands to witness history again while potentially becoming a viable route for commercial traffic.
“I think this pretty much cements our position as a world-leading ice operator,” Christian Bonfils, managing director of Nordic Bulk, said Wednesday in a telephone interview from Denmark. “In four years, we have created history in two new shipping routes – we are a small company and that’s pretty special.”
Nordic Bulk became the first non-Russian company to sail the Northern Sea Route – which runs across the northern coast of Russia – when it shipped iron ore from northern Norway to China in 2010.
“For some routes, it [the Northwest Passage] can save up to 7,000 kilometres – and that’s not just a distance savings, that’s a savings in terms of fuel, time and salaries,” Michael Byers, an international law expert at the University of British Columbia, said on Wednesday. “Time is money in the international shipping business and a 7,000-kilometre shortcut is of great interest.”
Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard are monitoring the journey and the Nordic Orion is required to check in daily with Nordreg, a Coast Guard agency, Transport Canada said. The ship is scheduled to arrive in Pori, Finland, in early October.
“If they are complying with Nordreg, this is good for Canada’s legal position,” Prof. Byers said. “This is an example of an international shipping company accepting the obligation to register with Canada – essentially recognizing Canada’s jurisdiction over the Northwest Passage.”
Such compliance would be more significant if it involved an American ship, as Arctic disputes have involved Canada and the United States, not other countries, but it still sets a welcome precedent, he added.
Nordic Bulk complies with the rules of the country in which it is sailing, Mr. Bonfils said, adding that the 25-person crew includes a Canadian ice pilot with a couple of decades’ experience in the waterway.
When Nordic Bulk bid on the job to carry coal from Vancouver to Finland, it had the Northern Sea Route in mind. But with its customer’s blessing, Nordic Bulk scrapped that plan in favour of the Northwest Passage.
The fabled route has taken the lives of many explorers. But changes in ice cover attributed to climate change, as well as advances in ship design, have opened the prospect of commercial traffic.
The SS Manhattan, undertaken to test the viability of shipping oil from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico, was repeatedly trapped by ice and the U.S. turned away from the idea and instead built a pipeline.
The Nordic Orion is carrying B.C. metallurgical coal bound for Rautaruukki Corp., a Finnish steel company. Nordic Bulk beat other contenders for the job with a bid based on savings of about 1,000 nautical miles and four or five days of sailing time. Nordic Bulk was also able to carry more coal – a fully-loaded 73,000 tonnes – than the 60,000 tonnes or so that could pass through the shallower Panama Canal.
Insurance – once difficult to obtain for Arctic routes – has become more readily available as traffic on the Northern Sea Route has increased, Mr. Bonfils said.
In recent years, there has been considerable debate over whether commercial shipping would become a reality in the Northwest Passage, with Prof. Byers among those arguing such traffic was likely to arrive sooner rather than later.
Now proven correct, he worries Canada is short of search-and-rescue and other safety capabilities, including clean-up capacity in the event of a fuel spill or other accident..
“This is the kind of challenge that by all rights should necessitate hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars of fairly rapid investment by the government of Canada to ensure that vessels like this … if they come into the Canadian Arctic, they can do so in relative safety.“
Russian border guards open fire on Greenpeace vessel
Further shenanigans in the Pechora Sea as the Russian border guard opens fire on the Greenpeave vessel ‘Arctic Sunrise.’ This comes on the heels of an earlier confrontation over offshore drilling in August.
Российские пограничники открыли огонь, чтобы остановить судно Гринпис
Пограничники были вынуждены четырежды выполнять предупредительную стрельбу из артиллерийской установки пограничного корабля, чтобы остановить судно Гринпис, сообщило ФСБ РФ.
© AFP 2013/ Stephan Agostini
МОСКВА, 18 сен — РИА Новости. Пограничники были вынуждены несколько раз открыть предупредительную стрельбу в Печорском море после попытки неизвестных проникнуть на нефтедобывающую платформу “Приразломная”, сообщило ФСБ РФ в среду.
Ранее экологическая организация сообщила, что активисты “Гринпис” устроили акцию протеста у “Приразломной” в Печорском море, двое из них арестованы, еще двое забрались на платформу. Читайте подробнее >>
© РИА Новости. Игорь Ермаченков
Ледокол Гринпис: вертолетная площадка, скоростные лодки и экотопливо“В связи с реально сложившейся угрозой безопасности объекта нефтегазового комплекса РФ и неподчинением законным требованиям о прекращении незаконной деятельности сотрудниками пограничных органов была выполнена предупредительная стрельба из автомата АК-74 <…> В связи с отказом капитана судна “Арктик Санрайз” выполнить требования о прекращении противоправной деятельности, руководством <…> принято решение об остановке судна. Пограничники были вынуждены четырежды выполнять предупредительную стрельбу из артиллерийской установки пограничного корабля”, — говорится в сообщении.
Отмечается, что “на предупредительную стрельбу, сигналы об остановке судно не отреагировало” и мероприятия по остановке судна продолжаются.
ФСБ сообщило, что активисты пытались проникнуть на “Приразломную” при помощи “кошек” и веревок. Задержанных доставили на борт корабля “Ладога”.
По информации природоохранной организации, задержаны следующие активисты Гринпис: гражданка Финляндии Сини Саарела (Sini Saarela) и гражданин Швейцарии Марко Поло (Marco Polo).
Какие еще акции проводили активисты Гринпис
Гринпис не в первый раз устраивает акции протеста в связи с попытками нефтяных компаний начать освоение Арктики. В августе 2012 года шесть альпинистов Гринпис “оккупировали” на 15 часов платформу “Приразломная”. В феврале 2012 года активисты на 76 часов заняли буровую вышку нефтеразведовательного судна компании Shell в новозеландском порту Таранаки. В мае 2011 года экологи расположились внутри спасательной капсулы, которую они подвесили прямо над буром на одной из арктических нефтяных платформ британской компании Cairn Energy.
Исполнительный директор Гринпис Интернэшнл Куми Найду: “Наша кампания против Газпрома, Shell и других нефтяных гигантов продолжится, чтобы остановить безответственные планы добычи нефти в Арктике и вдохновить еще больше людей по всему миру на то, чтобы присоединиться к тем почти двум миллионам защитников Арктики, которые уже отдали свои голоса за создание международного арктического заповедника”.
Что представляет из себя платформа “Приразломная”Месторождение Приразломное, открытое в 1989 году, расположено на шельфе Печорского моря в 60 километрах от берега на глубине 19-20 метров. Его запасы оцениваются в 72 миллиона тонн нефти. Нефтяная платформа “Приразломная”, работа на которой, по словам Цыбина, может начаться уже в этом году, — первая в мире подобного типа. Читайте подробнее >>
Canadian Coast Guard helicopter crashes in Arctic Ocean, 3 dead
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark.
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Arctic coast guard helicopter crash kills 3
The crash occurred on Monday evening in the McClure Strait, about 600 kilometres west of Resolute. (ArcticNet)
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is investigating a tragic incident in which three men were killed Monday when the helicopter they were on crashed into the Arctic Ocean.
The helicopter was on a reconnaissance mission at the time, travelling with the Amundsen, a coast guard icebreaker. There were no survivors.
The men who died were:
- Marc Thibault, commanding officer of the CCGS Amundsen.
- Daniel Dubé, helicopter pilot.
- Klaus Hochheim, an Arctic scientist affiliated with the University of Manitoba.
The Amundsen had recently departed Resolute on a research voyage.
This map shows the location of the crash, about 600 kilometres west of Resolute, in the Northwest Passage north of Banks Island. (CBC)
The crash occurred at 8 p.m. ET (6 p.m. MT) Monday in the McClure Strait, about 600 kilometres west of Resolute. The McClure Strait is north of Banks Island on the opposite side of the island from Sachs Harbour, N.W.T.
The helicopter, a Messerschmitt BO 105S, was doing a reconnaissance mission on the state of the ice in the area when it crashed.
A spokesperson with the Coast Guard said Tuesday that weather conditions in the area of the crash were “clear, with good visibility.”
The first responder to the crash site was the Amundsen itself. The crew was able to recover the three victims, and are returning to Resolute with their bodies. All three were wearing standard issue orange survival suits.
Marc Thibault, commanding officer of the CCGS Amundsen, was killed Monday when the helicopter he was on crashed into the Arctic Ocean. (DFO)
Louis Fortier, the scientific director of the mission of which the three men were part, said their deaths came as a shock.
“Commandant Thibault and Daniel and Klaus were friends,” he said. “And this is the main message this morning, it’s the sadness for those people with whom we’ve been working with for 10 years now and it’s a major loss.”
The ship is expected to arrive back in Resolute on Wednesday.
Psychologists will be there when the ship arrives to offer support to the nearly 80 crew members and researchers aboard the Amundsen.
Helicopter Pilot Daniel Dubé, who was killed in the crash, was born in Abitibi, Que., in 1957. (DFO)
TSB reviewing incident
Thibault was born in L’Islet in the Chaudiere Appalaches region of Quebec in 1965. Dubé was born in Abitibi, Que., in 1957. He was married with four children. Hochheim was 55 years old. He leaves behind a wife and three children.
“Klaus was a friend and colleague. We’re devastated at the news of his passing,” said Tim Papakyriakou, one of Hochheim’s colleagues at the University of Manitoba. “He was a veteran of high Arctic field campaigns and an outstanding research scientist. We extend heartfelt condolences to his family. He will be sorely missed by all.”
Klaus Hochheim, 55, a passenger killed in Monday’s helicopter crash in the McClure Strait, was an Arctic scientist affiliated with the University of Manitoba. (DFO)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper also issued a statement on the death of the three men.
“On behalf of Canadians, Laureen and I offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of [the victims],” Harper said. “It is a grim reminder of the very real dangers faced on a regular basis by those brave individuals who conduct research and patrol our Arctic – one of the harshest and most challenging climates in the world – to better understand and protect Canada’s North.”
“The courage and dedication of these three brave individuals will be honoured and remembered,” the PM said.
The vessel had gone through a full crew change on Sept. 5 in Resolute.
The coast guard spokesperson said it is standard practice for helicopters to depart on reconnaissance missions to gauge ice around the ship following a crew change.
The Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it is probing the crash.
“One of our biggest challenges is that there are no eyewitnesses,” said John Lee, who is with the TSB in Edmonton. “And of course the helicopter itself, which is going to have a lot of important information for us, is located at the bottom of McClure Strait so until we retrieve the wreckage it’s going to be difficult to be able to come to any kind of determination as to cause or any underlying issues.”
Lee said the TSB is still trying to figure out how it’s going to retrieve the helicopter. It’s about 450 metres under water north of Banks Island.
The last time a coast guard helicopter crashed was in 2005 in Marystown, Nfld.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2013/09/10/north-chopper-crash.html
Russia opens Arctic SAR centre on Northern Sea Route
Naryan-Mar is located north of the Arctic Circle on the Pechora River, 68-miles (110 kilometers) upstream its mouth on the Barents Sea.
Russia opens first Arctic search and rescue center
Deputy Minister of EMERCOM Aleksander Chupriyan opening the first Russian SAR center in Naryan-Mar, Nenets (Photo: Andrey Vokuev)
NARYAN_MAR: The first of a total of ten search and rescue centers along the Northern Sea Route has opened in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
With increased traffic on the Northern Sea Route comes the need for more onshore safety infrastructure. Russia in 2009 allocated 910 million rubles (app €20.6 million) to construction of ten search and rescue (SAR) centers from Murmansk in the west to Provideniya in the East. All centers are planned to be operational by 2015.
The first of the new SAR centers was officially opened in Naryan-Mar on August 20 by Nenets Governor Igor Fyodorov and Deputy Minister of EMERCOM Aleksander Chupriyan.
The center includes a fire department, a department for search and rescue operations with vehicles and boats, a berth and training facilities.
Similar rescue centers will open in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Dudinka, Pevek, Vorkuta, Nadym, Anadyr, Tiksi and Provideniye.
See photos from EMERCOM facilities in Naryan-Mar, Dudinka and Arkhangelsk:
The SAR center in Naryan-Mar hosts the region’s first EMERCOM cadet class. Andrey Vokuev / BarentsObserver
Governor of Nenets Autonomous Okrug Igor Fyodorov openinge the SAR center in Naryan-Mar. Andrey Vokuev / BarentsObserver
The center in Naryan-Mar is the first of ten centers that will open along the Northern Sea Route. Andrey Vokuev / BarentsObserver
EMERCOM representatives in Naryan-Mar. Andrey Vokuev / BarentsObserver
Construction of the new SAR center in Naryan-Mar started in December 2010. Andrey Vokuev / BarentsObserver
Search and rescue facilities in Arkhangelsk on the banks of the Dvina river. Thomas Nilsen / BarentsObserver
Search and rescue facilities in Dudinka on the inlet of the Yenisei river. Thomas Nilsen / BarentsObserver
EMERCOM vehicle in Dudinka. Thomas Nilsen / BarentsObserver
EMERCOM worker in Dudinka. Thomas Nilsen / BarentsObserver
HMCS Summerside and HMCS Shawinigan depart for the 60th Parallel
From the Arctic to the Horn of Africa… the Royal Canadian Navy seem to be everywhere.
Canadian Warships Depart for Canada’s Arctic Waterways
NR 13.242 – July 29, 2013
OTTAWA – Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Summerside departed today from Halifax, N.S. for Canada’s arctic, where she will be joined later in August by HMCS Shawinigan. This deployment is a part of a 39-day mission north of the 60th parallel, marking the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) longest uninterrupted arctic naval presence in recent years.
During the deployment, HMCS Summerside and HMCS Shawinigan will participate in Operations QIMMIQ and NANOOK, conducting surveillance and presence activities, as well as joint training scenarios, showcasing Canadian Armed Forces assistance to civil emergency management and law enforcement agencies during threats to public safety.
““Overcoming the challenges associated with operating in Canada’s northern regions is an important area of focus for the Canadian Armed Forces. Accordingly, we will continue to play a key role in supporting Canada’s Northern Strategy,”” said General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff. ““With these ship deployments the Royal Canadian Navy will, alongside other government departments, establish a visible and important federal presence in our northern communities during the next two months. The ships will also be pre-positioned to participate in our largest annual northern training and sovereignty activity, Operation NANOOK.””
““The deployment of maritime coastal defence vessels in Canada’s northern waters serves as an example of how our Navy demonstrates sovereignty in the North and, when authorized, assist other government departments in enforcing national and international law,”” said Vice Admiral Mark Norman, Commander of the RCN. ““The experience will also help us prepare the stage for more extensive operations in the ice, to be conducted in the future by our Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, by ironing out some of the logistical and operating challenges generated by the sheer distances, remoteness, and generally harsher environmental conditions in the North.””
Operation NANOOK, the most widely recognized of all the northern deployments, and Operation QIMMIQ, a year-round persistent surveillance and presence operation, are directed by Canadian Joint Operations Command. Other yearly Northern deployments include the springtime Operation NUNALIVUT in the high Arctic and the summertime Operation NUNAKPUT in the western Arctic.
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?id=4912
Major icebreakers of the world
Only the “majors.” Smaller vessels (less than 10,000 HP), such as the Royal Navy’s HMS Protector, and “ice-strengthened” vessels such as the British Antarctic Survey’s RRS Ernest Shackleton, are not included.
U.S. Coast Guard’s 2013 Reivew of Major Ice Breakers of the World
The Coast Guard Office of Waterways and Ocean Policy (CG-WWM) began producing the chart of major icebreakers of the world in July 2010. Since then, we have gathered icebreaker information and recommendations from a variety of sources and experts, including icebreaker subject-matter experts, internet posts, news updates, Arctic experts and Coast Guard offices with icebreaker equities. We validate our information within the public forum and update the chart at least semi-annually based on new information and feedback. This chart represents the Coast Guard’s current factual understanding of the major icebreaker fleet. This chart is not intended for icebreaker fleet comparisons and no inference should be drawn regarding a country’s icebreaker “ranking” against another.
The following is the July 18, 2013 review by the U.S. Coast Guard of Major Icebreakers of the World.
Scope. Vessels meeting the general definition of a polar icebreaker per the 2007 National Research Council report on Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World are included. These vessels “have sailed in significant sea ice in either the Arctic or the Antarctic,” have “ice strengthening sufficient for polar ice” and possess “installed power of at least 10,000 horsepower.” Minimally ice-strengthened ships (enough to survive in ice, rather than operate in it) and icebreakers of less than 10,000 horsepower are not included. With the exception of the Baltic icebreakers, this chart does not indicate where their owners may actually operate them. In addition, the chart does not specify whether a vessel’s crew is civilian or military.
Classification Methodology: The chart organizes the icebreakers first by country, then by installed power category, and finally in order of placement in service, youngest to oldest. The chart colors icebreakers by their relative capability estimated using brake horsepower as the most common basis. The most capable icebreakers are black, the next level sea-green and the lightest icebreakers are blue. Icebreakers in construction are colored yellow, and planned icebreakers are white. Planned icebreakers are placed on the chart if we can reliably state they are funded. The chart identifies government-owned or -operated icebreakers with the country’s flag next to the icebreaker. Nuclear-powered icebreakers are marked with an N. Baltic icebreakers designed to operate solely in seasonal, first-year Baltic Sea ice but meeting the ice-strengthening and horsepower criteria are marked on the chart with a B. Most Baltic icebreakers may not have operated in the Arctic due to concerns with open-ocean sea-keeping ability for open water transits.
Fleet numbers and Icebreaker Size in Context. The fleet numbers and icebreaker size tend to align along each county’s economic necessity for icebreaker resources. For example, the economies of Finland, Russia and Sweden have greater dependence on major icebreakers to pursue economic goals in the Arctic and Baltic winters than the economies of other nations. Also, ice in these countries’ shipping lanes, rivers and ports forms earlier, lasts longer, and requires more power to break, requiring more extensive icebreaking capabilities. Similarly, the Canadian icebreaker fleet supports summer access and supply to Canada’s Arctic communities. In contrast, in addition to the polar icebreakers already listed, the U.S has a number of icebreakers operating in the Great Lakes, New England and the mid-Atlantic to facilitate commerce and for exigent circumstances, but these are not listed in this chart because the icebreakers are not required to meet the threshold of at least 10,000 BHP.
An undated photo of USCGC Healy (WAGB – 20). US Coast Guard Photo
http://news.usni.org/2013/07/23/u-s-coast-guards-2013-reivew-of-major-ice-breakers-of-the-world
Arctic Shipping (1958)
MSTS Arctic Operations 1950-1957.
37-year old icebreaker USCGC Polar Star headed back to Arctic for ice trials
The USCGC Polar Star‘s sister ship, the USCGC Polar Sea, has been out of service since 2010 and seems set for permanent decommissioning, followed by a trip to the breaker’s yard.
But a quick question: If the Polar Star is the “only heavy icebreaker” in the USCG inventory, then what exactly is the USCGC Healy? Not heavy enough?
Although it does also raise the issue as to why there is not a second Healy class icebreaker in service ready to replace the 37-year old Polar Star? Does the US intend relying on the Russians and Canadians in the future?
Polar Star headed for Arctic ice trials
The Polar Star in port on June 27, 2013. Photo by Audrey Carlsen, KUCB – Unalaska.
The United States’ only heavy icebreaker will soon be back in service after a four-year, $90 million renovation. The USCGC Polar Star was scheduled to leave Unalaska last Friday to undergo several weeks of ice trials in the Arctic.
The 399-foot-long ship is painted bright red. Its decks are clean and shiny, and brand-new anchors rest in neatly coiled piles of chain on the prow. Ensign Paul Garcia explains that this is all the result of a massive overhaul of the ship that wrapped up in 2012. “The engines were getting replaced, the main gas turbines were getting replaced, all of our cranes … those are all brand new,” he says.
The ship also has new navigation equipment, new systems for lowering anchors and small boats, and a newly-equipped gym and movie theater to keep the crew in good spirits during polar voyages that can last up to six months.
The renovations are extensive and impressive, but the question still remains – does the ship actually work?
“Now, we need to make sure that all our equipment is functioning correctly, that we’re still able to withstand the same amount of force and break the same amount of ice that we were back in the ’80s,” says Garcia.
To that end, the crew of the Polar Star will be heading up to the Arctic, where they will perform various ice breaking maneuvers using a strategy that amounts to repeatedly beaching the ship on the ice.
“We have a lot of weight up forward,” says Garcia. “We kind of have a rounded hull and so we use our three main gas turbines to come up on the ice and then use that weight to come down and it smashes the ice and that’s how we create the channels. It’s called backing and ramming.”
And since the Coast Guard hasn’t had a heavy icebreaker for several years now, these ice tests will also be an opportunity for inexperienced crew members to get trained and qualified.
“You’re always going to have some growing pains,” says Garcia. “But this few weeks that we’re out here should hopefully take care of those. Fall time, I think we’ll be fully operational again and ready to perform any mission that the Coast Guard needs us to perform.”
While the Polar Star is heading for Arctic waters this summer, it will actually be spending most of its time in service in the Antarctic, breaking channels through the ice to resupply McMurdo Research Station. In addition to this yearly mission, dubbed Operation Deep Freeze, the ship will be available for scientific research, search and rescue and law enforcement missions, and, most importantly, maintaining a U.S. “presence” in Arctic waters.
Naval Matters 