The Royal Institution of Naval Architects

摘要

Recent years have seen a large increase in the number of vessels operating in polar and low temperature environments. This includes a broad range of vessel type; tankers, bulkcarries, LNG, container ships, multi-purpose ships, cruise ships and offshore support vessels. Compliance with just the basic ice class rules and regulations may not be sufficient for safe and effective ship operation in these environments. There are vast oil and gas resources around Siberia in the Barents and Kara sea as well as in the Alaskan Chukchi Sea. The receding ice in the Northern Sea Route and North West Passage offers new marine transportation options between the two major oceans and Europe, North America and Asia.