A Review of Research to Aid the Development of Commercial Arctic Marine Transportation: 1982 Trafficability Tests on the USCGC Polar Star

Abstract

A multi-year "trafficability" research program was begun in 1978 to demonstrate that year-round commercial marine transportation in Arctic waters is feasible and to collect data necessary to begin developing the criteria to design and operate marine vehicles for that environment. Using U.S. Coast Guard Polar Class icebreakers, annual winter deployments had been made in 1979, 1980, and 1981 into the Bering and Chukchi Seas to collect environmental and ship performance data. Early in 1982, the fourth phase of these research activities was conducted on the USCGC Polar Star in western Alaskan waters as far north as the Arctic Circle. Participants in the research were the Maritime Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the State of Alaska, the Canadian Ministry of Transport, twelve participating companies of the Alaskan Oil and Gas Association, and the Newport News Shipbuilding Company. This paper reviews the results of this voyage and the data collected. The Polar Star was instrumented to continuously monitor and record propulsion and ship motion parameters and speed. Video recording equipment was used to document ice conditions. Extensive on-ice equipment was used to profile ice features and to measure other ice parameters. Numerous pressure ridges were profiled and ice cores taken to improve the understanding of Bering and Chukchi Sea winter ice conditions and ice strength. Level ice resistance tests were conducted. However, heavy level ice conditions were not encountered and it is planned to complete the level ice resistance tests in 1984. Other research tasks included an ice edge analysis, hull friction experiments, and an ice drift study.