New System Reduces Risks in Ice Operations
An intelligent ice load monitoring system for the ships operating in ice covered waters will provide the operators a tool to handle the ships in safe but efficient ways.
The state of the art system will monitor the hull loads with optical sensors installed on the steel structures of the vessel. With the information received from the sensors and combined with the ship’s structural capability, the system is able to show operators the loading and risk level imposed by ice impacts. The system will also be able to make a probability forecast of the expected loads. Thus, the new system will be able to provide vessel operators a substantially improved tool to operate the ships in safe but efficient ways.
An improved tool will be jointly developed in cooperation of Aker Arctic Technology Inc and Light Structures AS. Both companies have a strong background in their respective areas, Aker Arctic is the leader in the icebreaking ship design and Light Structures is leading provider for the optical hull monitoring systems.
“This systems and service will help operators in many ways, it provides more safe operations, improves the understanding of the ice loads and therefore the practical training will be improved. We can provide our extensive technical know-how to help ship owners in their operations and avoid unnecessary cost arising from the hull damages,” said Managing Director Reko-Antti Suojanen from Aker Arctic.
“Ice loads exceeding the design load is a major risk and may cause permanent damage to the hull and challenge the crew’s safety. The “Ice Load Monitoring” system monitors the actual load on the hull in real-time and displays the utilization factor of the hull structure – which will be of immense importance for both [inexperienced] as well as experienced navigators, in addition to the important input for maintenance planning and surveys” said Inge C. Paulsen, CEO of Light Structures AS.
