Theoretical foundations of freeing ships from heavy ice conditions

The topic of the study is to prevent damage to the ships hulls when sailing in polar waters in severe ice conditions, which is a dangerous situation that threatens environmental pollution and possible death of the vessel, its passengers and crew. It is noted that the intensive development of ice navigation in the development of the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation and other polar waters requires the development and improvement of methods for freeing ships trapped in heavy ice. Navigation of vessels in severe ice conditions is accompanied by significant difficulties and dangers for the vessel, its passengers and crew. This situation can be significantly aggravated if, at a certain stage of navigation in ice conditions, heavy ice begins to move, leading to compression of the ice channel in which the vessel is located. At the same time, the risk of the vessel hull destruction, the creation of water leakage and the possible death of the vessel, its passengers and crew increases, as well as environmental pollution occurs. The theoretical foundations of freeing a vessel from severe ice conditions, based on the principles of rocking and pushing, as well as cutting ice, clamping the vessel, which have proven their effectiveness in other fields of science and technology, are discussed in the paper. The use of the vessel theory apparatus and the experience of ice-breaking assistance make it possible to substantiate the possibility of effective application of methods of rocking, pushing and chopping ice to release ships caught in severe ice conditions. The theoretical possibility of using combinations of the operation of the ballast system, cargo booms and cranes, special actions of the crew trapped in the ice of the vessel, as well as its interaction with icebreakers and other vessels for cutting the clamping ice, rocking and pushing, increasing the efficiency of freeing the vessel from severe ice conditions, is shown. The materials of the paper can be used to develop practical recommendations for freeing ships from heavy ice conditions independently and using icebreakers and other vessels.

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