Photo: Stena
Ship operations in cold climate DNV serving the maritime industry
Be prepared for different challenges The global demand for energy and minerals is driving a surge of activity in the Arctic, one of the great frontiers of our time. A recently released study by the US Geological Survey suggests that the Arctic holds 22 per cent of the world’s undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources. Global warming now seems to be reducing the polar ice cap at a dramatic rate, and trans-polar shipping routes may be established within a few years. Vessels and personnel must be able to tackle the region’s extreme climate and face constant hazards from ice, cold and darkness most of the year. Increased shipping activity is posing a risk to the region’s delicate and complex ecological system. Adequate safe transportation and emergency response solutions are needed in the Arctic. Establishing and implementing acceptable standards and practices to minimize the footprint from shipping in these areas are a challenge for all involved. DNV is a pioneer in risk management in polar regions, with its work dating back to the early days of Arctic and Antarctic scientific exploration. We have been delivering technical knowledge and developing standards for ice class shipping since 1881. The geographical location of our home base in Norway has given us the opportunity to build unique cold climate shipping experience. We understand the risks involved and remain committed to leadership in this sector, providing a wide range of services.
Front page: Arctic drillship.
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Tor E. Svensen Chief Operating Officer, DNV Maritime
DNV Class Notations: Ship-shaped drilling unit(N), DRILL(N), CRANE, HELDK-SH, DYNPOS-AUTRO, F-AM, E0, PC-6 (PC-5 for Hull, ICE-10 for Thrusters), WINTERIZED COLD (–20°, –30°)
Design and operation
DNV services
CHALL ENGES
Photo: Jan Henrik Koren
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DNV is a leading classification society for vessels intended for operation in cold climates. The DNV fleet as at January 2009 includes 1,666 ice-strengthened vessels, of which 470 are tankers and seven are icebreakers.
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Challenges facing cold climate shipping There is a long history of ship operations in cold climates. We now see a shift towards an increasing number of larger and newer types of ships entering cold climate trades and operations. Risk management in these cases requires that charterers and owners understand the challenges involved. Typical hazards when operating in cold climates include: I Overstressing of the hull: a lack of good ice reports/ routing. Ice restrictions versus commercial pressure on the master. Can personnel on the bridge confirm that they are operating the vessel within design limits when in darkness combined with almost zero visibility, e.g. during fog and heavy snowfalls I Lack of sufficient icebreaker assistance. I Propulsion failure: vessel stuck in ice, crushing of hull or drifting aground. I Far from shore-based assistance and rescue arrangements: a need for additional spare parts, redundancy and crew members? I Risk of collision: when ships are using the same ice channel, there has been shown to be an increased risk of collision. I Extreme ambient temperatures: down to -50° C. Heating capacity for accommodation and engine rooms, freezing of ballast and water lines, operation of hydraulic and mechanical devices, malfunction of fire equipment and low temperature material quality. Protection of personnel working outdoors. What happens in the case of a black-out?
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Icing: caused by sea spray freezing at low temperatures in open waters. Stability, safety functions, cargo operations, etc. I Evacuation and emergency response: free-fall lifeboats and conventional lifeboats are not suitable. I Crew fatigue: 24 hours of darkness, low temperatures, noise/vibrations from ice and additional workload. I Lack of experienced personnel: safe operation in cold climates requires competent and experienced people. Simulator training is not enough. To be able to “read“ the ice, long and actual exposure to the wide range of different ice and weather conditions is necessary. Is there a sufficient number of such personnel available? Risk management under circumstances that include the above challenges requires focus, understanding and a readiness to go beyond formal requirements, e.g. MARPOL and SOLAS requirements, which are basically meant to cover worldwide trading. Great variations in ice conditions will have a significant impact on the regularity of shipping in ice-covered waters. For LNG carriers which are normally links in a tight tran portation chain that is less tolerant of delays, risk studies to identify critical factors which have to be addressed to minimize the risk of delays are more essential than in many other cases.
Fram – a three-masted schooner powered by a steam engine – was launched in 1892. She was reputed to be the strongest wooden ship ever built and the one that sailed closest to both poles. Guided by DNV Classification Rules, the vessel was designed and built by the famous ship constructor Colin Archer from Larvik, Norway to withstand the extreme effects of high ice pressure on the hull on its way to the North Pole. The Fram’s capabilities in ice were demonstrated on her first expedition – to the North Pole with the scientist Fridtjof Nansen. Where other ships had been smashed to pieces by ice pressure, her innovative hull design raised the Fram above the ice. The vessel returned home to Norway in 1896 as a great success. Two years later, the Fram was heading for the Antarctic, carrying Roald Amundsen and his team on their way to become the first men to reach the South Pole. Once again, she withstood the strains and hardships of the polar oceans, successfully carrying the expedition to the Antarctic and back.
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CHALL ENGES
The Snøhvit LNG carrier Arctic Princess is winterized with enclosed bridge wings.
The Stena Ice-Aframax is a crude oil tanker designed to navigate in the Baltic through up to 1.0 meter thick ice.
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Photo: Jan Henrik Koren
Photo: Jan Henrik Koren
Cold Climate R&D
In order to maintain its position as the leading classification society for cold climate operations, DNV invests substantially in a special research programme that focuses on Arctic operations. The programme embraces different projects with the common goals of maintaining a high level of competence, updating standards and enabling DNV to provide owners, yards and oil majors with support and services. The main objective is to develop our services to safeguard maritime transportation in cold climates. Identifying risk mitigating options to obtain an acceptable risk level forms the basis for safe maritime operations in Arctic areas. Prioritised R&D areas over the next few years are: I The integration of human response measures in Arctic operations I The evaluation of emergency evacuation from ships and platforms in the Arctic I The prediction of the effects of extreme ice features on ships, platforms and pipelines I The assessment of safe and effective ship operations in Arctic ice conditions I Decision and support systems for environmental response and management in the Arctic I Emergency evacuation I Environmental response I Improved methods for predicting ice accretion
Morten MejlĂŚnder-Larsen Programme Director Cold Climate Shipping
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ICE LOAD MONITORING PROJECT – KEEPING THE BRIDGE INFORMED ABOUT THE ICE LOAD One of the identified challenges when navigating through ice-infested waters is how to operate the ship within certain safety limits to avoid damage to the hull or machinery. DNV has developed a system to monitor the actual ice loads acting on the hull and present the response as a “utilisation factor” on a display on the bridge. The ice loads are measured by fibre optic strain sensors. Together with navigational and machinery data, the information is displayed on the bridge or stored in a computer. The system also utilises satellite-based ice information displayed on the electronic displays for route planning.
BARENTS 2020 PROJECT – HARMONISATION OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR HEALTH, SAFETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has invited DNV to lead a project to harmonise industry standards for health, safety and the environment in the Barents Sea. The project is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Barents 2020 programme, and involves close cooperation between Norwegian and Russian industry. The goal is to recommend international industry standards applicable to safe petroleum production and transportation in the Barents Sea, harmonised between Russian and Norwegian waters. The standards will contribute to an expected level of safety that is at least similar to the level for North Sea activities. Subsequent phases of the project will include recommendations for possible changes and amendments.
The Norwegian Coast Guard vessel KV Svalbard used in the Ice Load Monitoring R&D project
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Photo: Steven Sawhill
Ice Navigation
PEOPLE FIT FOR PURPOSE The need for ice-navigation knowledge and experience on the bridge is expected to grow. Navigating safely in iceinfested waters requires not only ice-strengthened and winterized ships but also personnel skilled in operating in this challenging environment. DNV SeaSkill™ helps the maritime industry to ensure its people are fit for purpose. It does this by developing standards and certifying maritime learning programmes. DNV SeaSkill™ has developed a competence standard for navigating in ice and revised the existing standard for
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marine simulator systems to include the simulation of ice navigation. The DNV Ice Navigation standard specifies the competence requirements for officers responsible for navigating a vessel in various ice conditions worldwide, whether operating independently or with icebreaker assistance. Training providers can use DNV Seaskill as a guide for developing courses, which DNV can in turn certify as being in compliance with the standard. The standard is provided by DNV Seaskill.
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DESIG NAND OPER ATION
NEXT-GENERATION SIMULATOR With increasing maritime and offshore activities in the Arctic and other ice-infested waters, the Ship Manoeuvring Simulator Centre A/S (SMS) in Trondheim, Norway has, in close cooperation with DNV and other commercial partners, developed advanced mathematical models for the realistic interaction with and visualisation of ice for realtime simulation. A major challenge is finding the right algorithms for ice behaviour in contact with a vessel or structure. The theoretical developments have been carried out at the Norwegian
University of Science and Technology (NTNU). DNV is supporting the project with competence and financing as a part of its strategy of focusing on Arctic operations. The mathematical models are incorporated into the simulator for physical and visual presentation. This new ice-manoeuvring simulator represents a quantum leap from previous generations of simulators; it will make simulation tasks and manoeuvring training in different types of ice more realistic for port operations, ice management, different loading scenarios in drift ice and manoeuvring in convoy.
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Cold climate services DNV’S CLASSIFICATION RULES AND NOTATIONS In Arctic environments, the challenge of operating a vessel takes on new dimensions. DNV’s ice classification and winterization services provide strong support for safe operations. Our rules set standards for safe cold climate ship operations that are equal to or better than those for worldwide trade. Our basic ice class rules cover the necessary strength of the hull and propulsion system in specific ice conditions. In very simple and broad terms, it may be said that I ice classes deal with what is below the water line, including engine output. I the Winterization notations include additional requirements that are applicable above the water line. DNV’s Ice Class Rules include all the Baltic ice classes established by the Finnish and Swedish authorities. These rules assume that icebreakers are preparing channels in the ice, i.e. broken channels. Then there are ice classes for ship operations in first- and multi-year ice without icebreaker assistance. These are mainly intended for Arctic trades. The final selection of an ice class depends on the type of ship and assumed ice conditions/trade. The International Association of Classification Societies’
(IACS) common rules for polar ships came into force in March 2008. This is a common set of Rules governing the hull and machinery of ships operating in Arctic waters. The IACS Rules basically cover the ice-strengthening of the ship. Elements not covered by the IACS Rules will be approved based on the DNV Rules. As the first classification society, DNV has developed additional sets of notations called Winterized. The three alternatives are briefly outlined below. These notations include requirements for maintaining safety and vessel operability in ice, under icing conditions and at low temperatures. WINTERIZED BASIC For ships operating in cold climates for limited periods, when there is a risk of icing. WINTERIZED COLD For ships with Baltic ice class or one of the lighter polar class notations operating in cold climates for longer periods. WINTERIZED ARCTIC For vessels with higher ice class notations, including additional requirements to reduce the consequences of a possible accident, operating in harsh Arctic environments for longer periods of time.
SEASKILL: COMPETENCE STANDARD FOR ICE NAVIGATION MANDATORY
VOLUNTARY
Basic Class
Baltic Ice Class Polar Ice Class PC1
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Hull strength I Machinery I IMO I SOLAS I MARPOL/LL
Winterized
Human Factors
ARCTIC
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DNV’s Comfort class – Indoor climate – Noise – Vibrations
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DNV’s Seaskill – Competence standard for ice navigation – Standard for ice navigation simulator
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Tailor-made training courses
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Ice load monitoring
PC2 PC3 PC4
COLD
PC5 ICE-1A*
PC6
ICE-1A
PC7
BASIC
ICE-1B ICE-1C
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DNV SERV ICES
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The develpment of custom designed Ice Load Monitoring systems I Troubleshooting I Calculation of resistance in ice. HUMAN FATIGUE Extreme low temperatures, limited daylight and even 24 hours of darkness during winter periods, as well as noise and vibrations from operations in ice may easily have a negative impact on the quality of rest for the people on board and therefore become a safety issue. DNV’s additional class notation Comfort class, which covers noise, vibrations and indoor climate is recommended in association with Winterization.
“In all vessels that may have to steam through ice, the frames at the extreme forepart are to be closer than here directed, or some other sufficient additional strengthening of the vessel’s forepart must be adopted.” From DNV’s rules and regulations, November 1881
Photo: Jan Henrik Koren
ARCTIC TECHNICAL ADVISORY SERVICES Based on DNV’s wide-ranging and longstanding competence in Arctic shipping, DNV offers Arctic shipping advisory services to help ship designers, yards, owners and operators design safe and sustainable ships for operation extreme Arctic conditions. The services include: I Concept Evaluation I Winterization Workshops I Technology qualification I Design and Specification Review – selection of ice class I Advanced Load & Response, including non-linear collision analyses I Design Assessment and Verification
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www.dnv.com/maritime For further information please contact your local or main DNV office
© Det Norske Veritas AS 2-2009
Design: Coor Graphic Communications 0901-056 Print: 07 Oslo AS
Det Norske Veritas NO-1322 Høvik, Norway Tel +47 67 57 99 00 www.dnv.com