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Polar Marine Operations Remain the Ultimate Challenge, Says BMT Ice Specialist
09-Feb-2010
"World authorities and maritime businesses remain desperately short of expertise In ensuring safe shipping operations in polar regions," stated Andrew Kendrick, vice-president of BMT Fleet Technology Ltd, the Canadian subsidiary of BMT Group. Mr Kendrick reviewed the latest developments in polar ice operations and relevant risk mitigation for an audience of marine underwriters and brokers in London recently. This situation prevails despite the rush to exploit and trade minerals in these harsh climates, and sell polar passenger cruises, he explained. The seminar was arranged by another BMT Group subsidiary, BMT Marine & Offshore Surveys Ltd.
Lab testing cannot provide all the answers as to what happens when a 100,000-ton ship crashes into a large piece of ice. But BMT is at the forefront of research and is discussing with shipping companies how to build a new, safe generation of Arctic tankers. What is well known is that even light ice can exert dangerous forces on a ship, especially those with poor quality steel. Furthermore, the speed of a ship is critical in an impact; while most sail quite slowly in the Arctic, liquefied natural gas carriers cannot because for reasons of efficiency they have to keep up with the trains (facilities) producing the LNG.
This means there will soon be big ships in the Arctic travelling quickly, and no operational experience exists in this area. BMT therefore is trying to develop a thorough understanding of what the loads of these ships will be, and whether LNG containment ships will take the dynamics of ice-breaking loads. These ships will, however, cost significantly more than the standard open water ships.
The biggest factor exciting people at present is the prospect of oil and gas: the Arctic is estimated to contain up to 25% of the world's undiscovered reserves, and several giant fields have been discovered. Mr Kendrick forecast that sea transport will play a major role in energy exploitation, with offshore fields having marine components for exploration, drilling and production; heavylift by ship and barge will compensate for lack of infrastructure around onshore fields; and movement of liquefied natural gas cargo will be by sea. Pipelines are difficult to build in Arctic areas, and keeping the permafrost bed frozen in summer is a key factor. "As the summers get longer and the winters get warmer, that becomes more of a challenge." said Mr Kendrick, as pipelines are both a technical and an ecological risk.
The Antarctic presents a more complex problem when it comes to managing emergency response due to its remoteness and low population density. As a result, the IMO has been asked to turn its guidelines for ships operating in polar waters into a mandatory code.
Mr Kendrick went on to warn of limited icebreaker support and expressed concern that it will probably be at least a decade before a new generation of icebreakers is available from any government source. Response times for any emergencies are therefore going to be slow for summer events, and very slow for winter events.
On a similar theme, Mr Kendrick went on to underline that there are very few ports in polar regions, and very limited refuges where a disabled vessel could safely spend the winter. If ice formed more rapidly than expected, it would be impossible to find a safe haven. He said that the Canadian Arctic, an area the size of Western Europe, has a population of 15,000, and these people are dispersed in small settlements. It would take some time before any rescue service could intervene by air, let alone by sea. Lifesaving equipment is unsuited for polar conditions, and pack ice would quickly rip apart liferafts. Lifeboats had little inherent winterisation, while non-ice strengthened vessels would simply be crushed, he said.
The development of Arctic shipping suffers from a severe lack of trained people, following from the downturn in training in the late 1980s and early 1990s. To fill the gap, retired Russian or Canadian icebreaker officers, sometimes well into their 70s, are being asked to perform the duties of an ice navigator, advising a ship master.
In addition, the absence of both adequate ice navigation simulators and onboard experience makes a challenging situation more difficult. This is further complicated by the fact that standard modern radar does not pick up the presence of ice particularly well. Charts are poor, except for those which are the preserve of military powers. This is made worse by the fact that national governments are not investing much in charts, although energy companies are working on this necessity.
BMT Marine & Offshore Surveys Ltd has recently received Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) accreditation for its training events and seminars during 2010. The company is arranging further CII accredited seminars in New York, Greece and Hong Kong in the first half of 2010. These will address topics such as lay-up problems, new bunker fuel regulations, polar ice operations as well as the Chinese newbuilding and components market.