Ice Navigation & Seamanship A tanker master’s experience State of art Ice Class Aframax , Normal condition vs Ice water Stena Ice class – three A1 and Super in total, 4 P Max 1B, 6 more P max to come, Captain Tibor Anicic Master, Stena Bulk

Understanding Knowledge Difficulties Hazards Concerns Caution It is an lovely picture but you would be better avoiding this nice fellow

Ice Navigation Stena high standards set for safety , passage from port to port , taking worst scenarios to prevent the same , prevailing weather conditions Not to forget Risk assessment taken prior to service, Office and all available means of assistance to make sure that there is no threat to the vessel , environment or cargo on board our vessels By understanding Ice Navigation, we are indeed promoting Safe & Environment friendly marine transportation

Knowledge of Ice Navigation is vital to ensure : Ice nav courses , courses in specific areas ( St. Petersburg , Sweden , Canada ) , ice charts in Russian , Sailing time , deap water routes , accident a month ago Greek Aframax run aground on shallow water , Luckily no pollution although structural damages were of quite serious extent Safe navigation Minimising Sailing time Avoiding delays Environmental Safety

Navigation in ice requires special knowledge and skills and it is expected that the guidelines that were issued by IMO will be mandatory in the near future, which will create standards for training of navigators in ice. GOFREP , FINREP ... Several countries have their own national rules for navigating in ice covered waters that often only apply to national flagged vessels.

What are the difficulties ? No internationally accepted standards Lack of standards and requirements come into conflict with growing oil exports and need of shipping companies to have crews qualified in Ice Navigation. There is no internationally harmonised method of skill and knowledge delivery on Ice Navigation. Constant improvement for instruments used in Ice Navigation Not to forget the limitations of the WMO code Unnecessarily detailed classes for younger and thinner ice types that only exist for shorter periods. Too coarse classifiction of thicker, deformed and multiyear ice types. No quantification of deformed ice types like rafted ice, which can be predominant and several times thicker than level ice. No quantfication of ice ridges, to their size and frequency of occurrence. There is no reference to lead size, frequencies or orientations Weak relation between regional ice characteristics an ice parameters needed by an ice-going vessels The codes cannot optimally use the information that is available from SAR images The terminology has no clear connection to geophysical ice models used in forecasting.

Navigator’s concerns ….. Quickly changing weather conditions To come 12 hours later or to spend 3 days deicing the vessels areas , decks and mooring stations , Not to mention the forming of ice accomulation on ship side – affecting ships stability , maneouverability Icing on the ship’s structure may occur due to the freezing of sea sprays or due to snow, rain and fog. (Ships Stability / Equipment Failure) Quickly changing weather conditions

Navigator’s concerns ….. Stoppages in ice breaker operations Risk of Navigational errors in ice Limitations of the Radar equipment in icy areas. Some case unable to follow traffic separation zones in ice Risk of Navigational errors in icy conditions A strong growth in tanker traffic ECDIS , double or triple teams , use of extra lookout with simple orders , one task , clear instructions ...

Other concerns….. Ice pressure can seriously damage the vessel Ice may force the vessel into shallow waters Ice pressure can seriously damage the vessel The resistance of the ship is greater in level ice than in open water. Handling a damaged ship in ice-covered waters Avoid ice if possible , observe other vessels , ice drift and movements , big by current , small by wind , Especial attention on turning , no harsh movements , hull and sides are strong but not as strong as bow

Example No access to control or safety equipment might prevent an adequate response to an emergency. 1500 lost , bad estimate , human error , chasing blue ribbon , binoculars found in locked container , not given to lookout We do not need another SOLAS after major incident in Ice water for our tankers We need this yesterday before incident

Combating oil spills in ice and cold waters can be a daunting task Attn on scuppers , areas , topping off , reduced rate and loss in time is not an issue , avoid becoming overconfident or too sure ...

Training requirements Might be in future IMO model course for Ice training in Navigation / Engineering / Basic Seamanship TMSA improvement Tanker Management Self Assessment ( Vetting for Company) Do exist but Not mentioned in the STCW 95

Ice bonuses , good and experienced crew , human approach is most importanat The high expectations of customers and the safety of crew, vessel, cargo and environment has become a motivator to increase the knowledge and experience of ship’s crews.

Entering the Ice …. Do not enter Ice if an alternative, although a longer route is available. It is very easy and extremely dangerous to underestimate the hardness of the ice. Be prepared to go “full astern” at any time. Propellers and rudders are the most vulnerable parts of the ship – should go astern in ice with extreme care. Full maneuvering speed , especialy in convoys , look who is behind you , Props and rudder – ballast or laden – ice knife loose his function when in ballast

Thank you for your attention !!!! On behalf of Stena Bulk Ab , NMM , officers and crew of all our ice class vessels trading in Baltic sea and ice infested waters all over the world Special thanks to Chalmers University of technology FYI, Stena Arctica model is available in simulator for tanker ice navigation training Thank you for your attention !!!! Ice Navigation is a lot of responsibility…....