Icebreaker Trials • Hull Instrumentation • Enhanced Design

The Challenge

In Arctic environments, extreme local ice pressures are a critical factor in the design of ship hulls and offshore structures. Conservative assumptions about these loads – particularly for non-Polar class drilling rigs – can limit operations to open-water conditions, thereby shortening the drilling season and impacting project economics. ISO 19906 (2010) provides guidance on probabilistic approaches to determining local design pressures for Arctic structures, but its vague implementation guidelines often result in highly conservative designs. The lack of field-verified ice load data under stationkeeping conditions further reinforces this caution.

Our Solution

C-CORE has addressed this data gap through the design and implementation of a first-of-its-kind hull instrumentation system to measure ice loads under realistic operational conditions. Working in collaboration with international partners, we participated in full-scale Arctic trials that included ice management exercises using dual icebreakers and detailed monitoring of local ice pressures on a vessel operating in a stationkeeping mode.

Unlike historical datasets—largely based on ships in transit or ramming scenarios—this trial focused on managed ice conditions representative of drilling and production operations. Over 160 strain gauges were installed across three hull panels on the bow and shoulder of the vessel. The system was physically calibrated and validated using finite element (FE) analysis, enabling the conversion of measured strains into accurate local ice pressure values.

Data was collected during stationkeeping, active ice management, and ice transit, with the instrumentation remaining fully operational throughout. By capturing true in-situ ice pressures under realistic conditions, C-CORE supports a shift from conservative assumptions to evidence-based design practices—enabling more efficient and extended drilling operations in Arctic environments.