Ship Systems Operate at
Air Temperatures to 50C
Single Pressurized Water Reactor
(USSR)
(USSR & Finland)
2 Main Steam Turbines
(USSR)
Power Unit Automation
and Control System
(Finland)
2 Main Generators
(West Germany)
Icebreaking Bow
and Hull Form
Low Friction
3 AC Propeller Motors
Hull Coating
(Finland)
(Finland)
(Finland)
Cold-resistant
Shallow-draft
Hull Air Lubrication
Hull Steel Plates
Design (~8 meters)
System
(USSR)
(Finland)
(Finland)
Figure 4. Taymyr-class shallow-draft nuclear icebreaker (after Brigham 1991).
icebreaking ships and multi-purpose ships will be
ming in open water operations during high seas,
dictated by the needs of future developments and
and with the front of the ship pushing rubble ice
trade.
(Ierusalimsky and Tsoy 1994).
In 1979, the Canadian icebreaker Kigoriak was
built with a spoon-shaped bow for operations in
INVENTORY OF
the Beaufort Sea. Extensive full-scale experience
ICEBREAKING SHIPS
indicated that even this modern version of the
spoon-shaped bow was not immune to the ice-
Icebreaking ships that will be built in the future
pushing problem. However, these problems were
may have their designs based on the present state
solved by using epoxy paint and a water-deluge
of icebreaking technology and may also incorpo-
system to reduce friction between the broken ice
rate innovative developments in many areas of
pieces and the hull. The water-deluge system lifts
marine technology. Past experience can help de-
several tons of water every second and pours it on
signers avoid mistakes, but accepting the present
top of the ice in front of the bow. This helps to move
status too rigidly can also discourage them from
the ice pieces past the ship by submerging them.
innovation. Improvements in the design of ice-
In the early 1980s, several ships in Canada were
breakers should result from a full understanding
built with spoon-shaped bows. Some of the recent
of the current status of icebreaking technology.
icebreakers built in Europe have also been built
Information on most of the icebreaking ships in
with these bows, e.g., the Swedish icebreaker Oden,
the world is given in the appendix of the review
built in 1989, the Russian icebreaker Kapitan
paper by Dick and Laframboise (1989), and an
Nikolayev, converted in 1990, and the Finnish ice-
updated and a modified version of this list is also
breakers Finnica and Nordica, built in 1993 and 1994.
included in the appendix of a report by Mulherin
With the introduction of low-friction coatings
et al. (1994). The latter database contains informa-
and auxiliary systems, the capabilities of present
tion on icebreakers and icebreaking cargo ships
icebreakers are greatly enhanced so that they can
from the following countries: Argentina, Canada,
make steady progress in all types of ice conditions.
Denmark, Finland, Japan, Sweden, United King-
With sufficient displacement, power and auxiliary
dom, Russia (or former Soviet Union), U.S. and
systems, future icebreakers that can operate
Germany.
independently year-round in the Arctic are well
An inventory of all ships that are capable of
within the known technology and operational ex-
navigation in at least 0.3-m- (1-ft-) thick ice has
perience (Keinonen 1994). As in the past, the con-
been prepared for this study. This information has
struction of future icebreakers and icebreaking
been assembled in an electronic database and is
cargo ships will be closely linked to economic con-
also presented in Appendix B. The database con-
ditions and pressures. Choices between dedicated
6
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