Investigation of ship resistance characteristics under pack ice conditions

Abstract

Pack ice is a matter of considerable importance for ships and offshore structures operating in ice-covered waters. In particular, Arctic sea ice has been melting much faster recently than previously thought, with ships and offshore structures in Arctic regions and ice-covered waters being frequently exposed to pack ice conditions. Consequently, minimizing ice loads and ensuring safety under these conditions is a key consideration from a design perspective. This study aims to provide a better understanding of ship resistance characteristics and to investigate the factors that influence ship resistance when navigating pack ice fields. In the study, a preparation procedure for pack ice conditions for model testing in an ice tank is introduced, and some of the variables that can affect the ship resistance channel width, broken ice floe size, ice concentration, and ice thickness are considered in the experiments. The significance of each variable is discussed, and non-dimensional regression analysis is then applied to derive the relationships between the four variables and an equation for pack ice resistance prediction is established on the basis of this analysis. The reliability of the equation is verified by comparing the predicted results and the results of full-scale ice trials using the icebreaker Araon.