Next Steps Towards the Arctic Dream

As the global search for natural resources and new sea routes continues, the brightest minds are focused on the Arctic. The remoteness and harsh conditions at this last, frozen frontier, coupled with its fragile environment, pose unique engineering and other challenges. 

Mikko Niini, senior management advisor at Finland-based Aker Arctic Technology, which designed the new ice-breaking LNG carriers, says that for regular Arctic shipping to be viable, economies of scale are essential, “meaning the size of vessels operating there must increase.” 

The first of the 16 new ice-breaking tankers is due to be commissioned in South Korea in 2016. The 16 vessels are being built for the Yamal project, which will see LNG transported from the Yamal peninsula in northwest Siberia to Europe and Asia. The contract includes an option to equip a further 15 vessels.

The Azipod® propulsion units that will power the 170,000 cubic meter LNG carriers will have a total output of 45 megawatts. The vessels will be built with ice strengthening of ARC 7 category along an ice class scale that goes up to 9.

According to Niini, the new vessels are just the start of further penetration into the Arctic. “Looking at going east of the Taymyr peninsula or through the Northwest Passage is the next step. So we need to move step-by-step into the unknown. Not only are we talking larger vessels and more powerful propulsion units, but harder ice calls for new dimensioning principles, maybe even new materials.”

Step-by-step approach

Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, president at DNV GL Maritime, agrees with this step-by-step approach. In a recent article on the company’s website – titled “Can Arctic risk be managed?” – he writes: “Some areas, such as the southern part of the Barents Sea, can be considered very similar to the North Sea with respect to climate conditions. But, in contrast, the east coast of Greenland is a far more remote and difficult area for offshore operations.”

Challenges in one area may not be an issue in others, and technologies and procedures suitable to one region may not suit others, says Ørbeck-Nilssen. “The industry will benefit from starting exploration in areas where conditions are not so different from those we are used to. We should not move to the more unexplored areas before improved technology has been developed and sound experience gained in the ‘easier’ areas,” he says.

As companies become braver in pushing their operations into the frozen ocean, the solutions they But while these units have been successful in Baltic ice and other sub-Arctic conditions, they have not been tested in multi-year ice conditions in the high Arctic yet.

Unproven concept

Azipod is the ABB Group’s registered brand name for their azimuth thruster, a propulsion unit consisting of a fixed pitch propeller mounted on a steerable pod, which also contains the electric motor that drives the propeller.

 “These units haven’t seen much multi-year ice,” says Rob Hindley, Arctic technology lead specialist at Lloyd’s Register in Canada. “Now we need to ensure they are strong enough to withstand multi-year ice floes. We are beginning to see a gradual creep towards more harsh operations for Azipods, but I would say the concept still has to be proven in those conditions.

“Probably the harshest conditions to date have been experienced by the Azipod-equipped Norilsk Nickel containerships operating independently year-round between Murmansk and Dudinka along part of the Northern Sea Route.”

Developed in Finland, Azipod propulsion was originally installed on Finnish fairway support vessels for maintenance operations in ice. They were later retrofitted to Finnish tankers that have been used in the Arctic since the 1990s and are part of virtually every new icebreaker design.

“Azipod has been a game changer for ice-going ships. ABB have been very successful in that market. They have the technical foundation to support new developments where we push the boundaries further,” says Hindley.

He agrees with Ninni that the size of ships operating in the Arctic will have to increase if economies of scale are to work. “The original Finnish ice-breaking cargo ships were about 26,000 metric tons displacement, so we’re seeing a big step up to 120, 000 metric tons with the 170,000 cubic meter tankers for the Yamal project.”

Even bigger vessels will likely mean an increased steel weight, but while scientists are exploring the find are bound to spread to the wider shipping industry, says Tim Kent, technical director at Lloyd’s Register.

“With any engineering that goes into operations in the Arctic and Antarctic locations, the challenge is multiplied by several factors because an environmental incident in those locations just would not be accepted by society. Being such a different environment, it will drive technology. Solutions once demonstrated as possible here can then be adopted and embraced by the broader industry,” says Kent.

As the Arctic ice melts, more icebreakers will be needed to traverse high Arctic areas. The challenge posed to the machinery on board through the impact of ice on the propeller will drive further innovation.

“There has been a huge amount of innovation in the industry with electric propulsion and azimuthing pods that can push or pull a ship through ice,” says Kent.

But while these units have been successful in Baltic ice and other sub-Arctic conditions, they have not been tested in multi-year ice conditions in the high Arctic yet.

Finns leads the way

As Hindley says, “We have to be conservative in the structural design process for such large ships because we don’t have a firm understanding of the ice loads. We’ve only really started to touch on what can be done. 

“We also need to look at alternative materials for the ice belt structure and close the knowledge gap of the nature of ice loads as the ship size increases. But what we have learnt from before should always guide us in addressing the technical challenges of the future.”

Those challenges will necessitate cooperation across countries, as has always been the case with Arctic shipping and operations. 

“The Finns are the leaders in Arctic shipping technology because they’ve done so much of it. ABB chose to house their Azipod factory in Finland. That’s where the knowledge is. You can see this core technology that is based in Finland spreading out across the world as these projects develop,” says Hindley.

He cites the recent Polar icebreaker designs between Canada-based STX Marine and Aker Arctic for the Canadian Coast Guard as an example. Asian and Russian icebreakers are also designed in Finland.

The Yamal project is another example of cross-nation Arctic cooperation. Independently-held Novatek, Russia’s second biggest gas producer after state-controlled Gazprom, has a 60 percent stake in the project, while the remaining 40 percent is split between French oil and gas giant Total SA and China National Petroleum Corporation. The project is expected to produce 16.5 million metric tons of LNG per year.

The newbuild project for the ice-going LNG carriers was awarded to Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME). The vessels will be able to operate in temperatures as low as minus 50 °C. The ships will use Azipod propulsion to move ahead in open water and in moderate ice conditions, and astern to cut through heavy ice up to 2.1 meters thick. Operations will be mainly without escort or icebreaker support.

“Operating LNG carriers in ice-locked waters year-round requires the highest standards in safety and efficiency,” says Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s Process Automation division. “ABB is very proud to have its technology selected for such a project.”

Source: http://new.abb.com/marine/generations, ABB's Generations 2014 publication