Canadian Research to Improve
Navigation in the Arctic
Ivana Kubat, Michelle Johnston and Garry Timco
National Research Council of Canada
Canadian Hydraulics Centre – Ottawa, ON
NRC-CHC Research Projects
1. Canadian Arctic Regulatory shipping
system
2. Multi-year ice as hazards to navigation
3. Prediction of pressured ice zones
1. Canadian Arctic Regulatory
Shipping Systems
• Zone-Date System (ZDS)
• Arctic Ice Regime Shipping System
(AIRSS)
Zone - Date System (ZDS)
• In 1972, the Canadian Government drafted the Arctic
Shipping Pollution Prevention Regulations (ASPPR)
• North of 60° latitude
• These regulations include the 16 Shipping Safety
Control Zones, and the Date Table (Zone-Date
System - ZDS)
• The ZDS is based on the premise that nature
consistently follows a regular pattern year after year.
It is a rigid system with little room for exceptions.
Shipping Safety Control Zones
Ice Regime System (AIRSS)
• In 1996, Transport Canada introduced the Arctic Ice
Regime Shipping System - AIRSS
• An "Ice Regime" is a region of generally consistent
ice conditions
• AIRSS represents the actual ice conditions in vicinity
of a vessel
• It is a regulatory Standard that can be used, with
certain conditions, outside the ZDS
IN is calculated for each Ice Regime
Project Drivers
• Ice Climate in the Arctic is changing; the existing ZoneDate System was based on ice conditions present 40
years ago
• Neither the existing Zone-Date System nor the Ice Regime
System are strongly scientifically based
• International Association of Classification Societies
(IACS) has introduced a unified classification for polar
vessels (Polar Class – PC) that are not part of the
Canadian Regulations
• With renewed interest in the Beaufort Sea, there is
possibility of year-round support and shipping in this
region
• Ship operators of bulk carriers are interested in
expanding the Arctic shipping season and they require
up-to-date regulations for this
Project Objectives
• Update the Arctic Shipping Pollution
Prevention Regulations by applying a scientific
analysis of historic ice conditions and
including the unified classification for polar
vessels (PC)
• Project funded by Transport Canada
Research Results
Development of a Hybrid System, an up-to-date
regulation system, based on a Hybrid approach
of a verified Zone-Date-Ice Regime System
developed for the Polar Class vessels and Type
A and Type B Baltic vessels
Entry Into Zone 6 – Type B vessel
Zone-Date System
Jun/01
Jul/01
Aug/01
Sep/01
Oct/01
Nov/01
Dec/01
Jan/01
Aug/01
Sep/01
Oct/01
Nov/01
Dec/01
Jan/01
Hybrid System
Jun/01
Jul/01
Modified Ice Regime System Mandatory
HYBRID SYSTEM 'TYPE B'
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Jun/01
Jul/01
Aug/01
Sep/01
Oct/01
Nov/01
Dec/01
Jan/01
Consultation Meetings
The participants in the consultation process included
several members of the following organizations:
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Canadian Shipping Companies
Oil & Gas Industry
Canadian Coast Guard
Classification Societies
Territorial Governments
Canadian Ice Service
Transport Canada
Department of National Defence
Tourism Operators
Consultants
Inuvialuit Joint Secretariat
Government of Nunavut
US Coast Guard
Note: There was also international input into this consultation process
Future work
• March 2011 - A report describing the scientific analysis
of the ice conditions for all vessel classes
• TC will seek an input from Stakeholders
• Future research depends on TC and feedback from
Stakeholders of the shipping regulations
• Interest in this research was expressed by USGC,
however, no direct research has resulted from it
Hazards to Navigation
• A number of Captains interviewed as part of the
“Scoping Study: Ice Information Requirements for
Marine Transportation of Natural Gas from the High
Arctic”



Multi-year ice identified as the key ice parameter,
second highest concern for shipping were ice
pressure zones
detection of MY ice should be the key research area
more information on pressured ice regions would
be desirable
Multi-year Ice
•
Ice which survived at least two
summers. MY ice is thicker and
stronger than first-year ice.
•
Previous analysis showed that
damage to vessels happened in
ice regimes where MY ice was
present.
2. MY Ice as Hazards to Navigation
Project Objectives
• Collect and analyze long-term ice loads on an
icebreaking vessel in the Arctic
• Establish criteria that can be used to rate the damage
potential of multi-year (MY) ice using:
• On-ice measurements
• Ship-based observation of MY ice
• Global impact forces on ships and ship damage
statistics
Project Partners
• Project funded by:
•
Transport Canada
• Climate Change Technology Innovation Initiative Unconventional Gas Supply Program (CCTII) NRCan
•
Resolute Hunters and Trappers Organization (HTO) via
on-ice measurements
Research Results
• Will be used to develop statistical information on ice
loads and to improve vessel design for safe operation
in the Arctic
• Will provide mariners with statistical information about
the ice impact forces they can expect during annual
operation in ice which will lead to safer operations in
ice-covered waters and enhance pollution prevention
measures
Future Research
• This project is planned to be completed in 2012
• Understanding MY ice is a key aspect to the promotion
of safer operations in the Arctic - further R&D to
enhance our understanding of MY ice is highly
recommended
• Systems are in place in the USA to document the
thinner types of MY ice in the Arctic Basin from Ice
Mass Balance equipment; Canadian efforts have
focused upon the thicker types of MY ice in the
Archipelago that have not been addressed previously
Long-term Monitoring of Ice Loads on a Vessel (MOTAN)
• Summer 2008, ’09, ’10 data from CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent
• Currently examining areas of challenging ice encountered in summer
2009
data record begins on 13 Jul,
ends on 30 Sep
2009 Voyage
27 - 30 Aug
25 July: ship departed
Halifax
25 Jul
30 Sep
24 Sep
8 Aug; 23 - 24 Sep; 27 – 30
Aug:
challenging ice encountered
23 Sep
30 Sep: last recorded data
(ship still in Beaufort Sea)
8 Aug
Two hours of ramming to penetrate MY floes like this in the S. Beaufort Sea
X-accel (g's)
Ramming this floe caused highest load of voyage
0.2
(17 MN)
X acceleration
0.1
0.0
(g’s)
-0.1
Y-accel (g's)
-0.2
20:30:00
0.1
0.0
Z-accel (g's)
-0.1
20:30:00
1.2
1.1
20:35:00
20:40:00
20:45:00
20:50:00
20:55:00
20:40:00
20:45:00
20:50:00
20:55:00
Y acceleration
(g’s)
20:35:00
Z acceleration
(g’s)
0.12 g’s
1.0
Global Load (MN)
0.9
20:50:00 20:51:00 20:52:00 20:53:00 20:54:00 20:55:00 20:56:00 20:57:00 20:58:00 20:59:00
20
16
Global load (MN)
17 MN
12
8
4
0
Ship speed (kts)
20:50:00 20:51:00 20:52:00 20:53:00 20:54:00 20:55:00 20:56:00 20:57:00 20:58:00 20:59:00
15
Ship speed (kts)
11 kts
10
5
0
20:50:00
20:51:00
20:52:00
20:53:00
20:54:00
20:55:00
20:56:00
20:57:00
20:58:00
20:59:00
(aerial view of ship/floe from 1500 ft,Timecourtesy
of B. Molyneaux,
(hh:mm:ss)
CIS)
Establishing Damage Potential of MY Ice: Measuring its Thickness
Drilled 24 MY floes in High Arctic during past 3 years,
for a total of 650 thickness measurements (4300 m of ice)
2007: 11 MYI floes
2008: 4 MYI floes
2009: 9 MYI floes
Thickness variations on Floe L04
avg floe thickness: 8.3 m ± 3.6 m
max: 14.9 m
min: 1.4 m
transects: 3
holes drilled: 23
Average thickness of multi-year floes sampled over 3 years
20
• Avg. floe thickness ranged from 3.4 to 14.7 m
• about 50% of floes were more than 8 m thick, on average
16
High Arctic (2009)
14
Resolute (2008)
High Arctic (2007)
12
10
8
6
4
2
Sampled multi-year ice floes
L09
L08
L07
L06
L05
L04
L03
L02
L01
LCI01
R05
R02
R01
N11
N10
N09
N08
N07
N06
N05
N04
N03
N02
0
N01
Average drill-hole ice thickness (m)
18
Understanding and
Identifying Old Ice in Summer
ship-based observations
on ice measurements
aerial observations
satellite observations
M.E. Johnston and G.W. Timco
December 2008
3. Prediction of Pressured Ice Zones
• Regions of high pressure would significantly slow the
vessel and therefore affect the operation and in some
cases could compromise safety. A vessel could get
also trapped and beset in the pressured ice and
consequently get damaged by ice.
• Having knowledge of where high pressure regions
could potentially develop is essential for reducing a
risk of vessel being damaged and a risk of
environmental pollution.
• Having knowledge of leads will be an aid to plan an
alternate route
Project Objectives
• Providing information to ships operating in Arctic on
the development of pressured ice along shipping
routes
• Quantify the role of pressure and convergence of ice
covers on besetting of tankers and supply vessels
• Determine parameters and criteria which predict
conditions that may beset a vessel
• Develop a guide that will assist mariners with
identifying the key indicators which may lead to the
formation of ice pressure and besetting of a vessel
Ship Safety and Performance in Pressured Ice Zones
Task1: Captains’ Responses to Questionnaire
Information assisting evaluation of pressured ice conditions
6
# of interested individuals
5
4
3
2
1
0
Ambient
pressure
Ridging
Pressure
Intensity
Pressures on
hull
Power
requirements
Projected
speed
Ship Safety and Performance in Pressured Ice Zones
Task1: Captains’ Responses to Questionnaire
Pressured ice product
8
# of interested individuals
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Hard copy of
charts
Digital charts
Tabulated
values
Animations
Software run
locally
(onboard)
Bulletin
indicating
pressured ice
areas
Project Partners
• Project funded by:
•
Transport Canada
• Program of Energy and Research Development
(PERD), NRCan
• Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Ice Service, Shipping
Industry
• ABS
Research Results
• Detailed pressure prediction methods for various
specific geographic regions in the Arctic; CHC
developed a model based on an approach that can well
simulate ice deformation and failure
• A database documenting available records of ship
besetting cases, based on the compilation and analysis
of reports of ship entrapment and damage in pressured
ice conditions
• Guide booklets intended for end-users will be
produced. The booklets will be designed to give simple
access to the predictive criteria of ship besetting
Future Work
• Implementation of pressured ice model at the CCG
Regional Office in St.John’s 2011 and distributing
information on pressured ice build-up
• Development of predictive criteria that can be
employed by end-users to estimate the potential for
ship besetting.
• Focus on specific locations of interest (the southern
Beaufort Sea and locations in the Canadian
Archipelago). The work will explore whether a universal
set of criteria can be used over all locations of interest,
or specific criteria will have to be established for each
location.
Ice Thickness
Results Dissemination
• Stakeholders Workshops
• International Conferences (POAC, ICETECH, IAHR,
Arctic Shipping North America, ISOPE)
• Northern-CMAC meetings
• CCG pre-Arctic/post-Arctic meetings
• Old Ice Guide
• Reports on CHC website: http://www.chc.nrc.gc.ca
www.chc.nrc.gc.ca
• Dr. Garry Timco – garry.timco@nrc.ca, 613-993-6673
• Dr. Michelle Johnston – michelle.johston@nrc.ca,
613-990-5141
• Mrs. Ivana Kubat – ivana.kubat@nrc.ca, 613-993-7695