Maritime Training for Navigating in Ice
As I gradually gear up for a July trip to Greenland, I have my eye out for information on how ship crews are (or can be) trained to maneuver in ice conditions, a topic that has new prominence due to the recent sinking of a cruise vessel in the Antarctic.
Transas Group has developed simulator software — an Ice Navigation module — that covers the specific skills ice conditions require:
- single point mooring
- proceeding in broken ice
- proceeding along the solid ice edge, bumping against the edge
- proceeding in open pack ice, in ice holes, and in patches of ice-free water
- following an icebreaker (training in watch service procedures for maintaining your ship's place in the convoy, maintaining communication between the ship, icebreaker and other ships in the convoy)
- proceeding along the channel in a convoy
- using radar information while sailing in ice conditions
- using the ice chart in the ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System)
... accurate modelling of the ship-ice interaction (such as hydrodynamic interaction with the ice surface, especially within the ice field; hull friction with the edge of the ice field, and bumping into the ice field), high quality visualization of various ice surface types, nocturnal conditions, visibility effects and reflections, ensure the maximum realism and training efficiency.The software also tracks current ice pressure on the vessel hull and its change history so that the "critical pressure value" can be defined. An alarm sounds when the critical pressure value is exceeded.
Labels: Simulation
posted by Karen Nelson @ 11:31 PM
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