Nataliya Marchenko

Navigation in the Russian Arctic: Sea Ice Caused Difficulties and Accidents

The 5 Russian Arctic Seas have common features, but differ significantly from each other in the sea ice regime and navigation specifics. Navigation in the Arctic is a big challenge, especially during the winter season. However, it is necessary, due to limited natural resources elsewhere on Earth that may be easier for exploitation. Therefore sea ice is an important issue for future development. We foresee that the Arctic may become ice free in summer as a result of global warming and even light yachts will be able to pass through the Eastern Passage. There have been several such examples in the last years. But sea ice is an inherent feature of Arctic Seas in winter, it is permanently immanent for the Central Arctic Basin. That is why it is important to get appropriate knowledge about sea ice properties and operations in ice conditions.Four seas, the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi have been examined in the book “Russian Arctic Seas. Navigation Condition and Accidents”, Marchenko, 2012 [1]. The book is devoted to the eastern sector of the Arctic, with a description of the seas and accidents caused by heavy ice conditions. The traditional physical-geographical characteristics, information about the navigation conditions and the main sea routes and reports on accidents that occurred in the 20th century have reviewed. An additional investigation has been performed for more recent accidents and for the Barents Sea.Considerable attention has been paid to problems associated with sea ice caused by the present development of the Arctic. Sea ice can significantly affect shipping, drilling, and the construction and operation of platforms and handling terminals.Sea ice is present in the main part of the east Arctic Sea most of the year. The Barents Sea, which is strongly influenced and warmed by the North Atlantic Current, has a natural environment that is dramatically different from those of the other Arctic seas. The main difficulties with the Barents Sea are produced by icing and storms and in the north icebergs. The ice jet is the most dangerous phenomenon in the main straits along the Northern Sea Route and in Chukchi Seas.The accidents in the Arctic Sea have been classified, described and connected with weather and ice conditions. Behaviour of the crew is taken into consideration. The following types of the ice-induced accidents are distinguished: forced drift, forced overwintering, shipwreck, and serious damage to the hull in which the crew, sometimes with the help of other crews, could still save the ship. The main reasons for shipwrecks and damages are hits of ice floes (often in rather calm ice conditions), ice nipping (compression) and drift.Such investigation is important for safety in the Arctic.Copyright

Northern Sea Route: Modern State and Challenges

It is well-known that navigating the waterway from the primary trade hubs in northern Europe to the Asia-Pacific ports and contrariwise along the Russian Arctic Coast (Northern Sea Route - NSR) is much shorter and faster, than southern ways via Suez or around Africa. The NSR can significantly save costs (through saving time and fuel) and avoids the risk of attack by pirates. In addition, an increase in oil and gas activity in the North, forecasts of global warming and an ice-free Arctic have stimulated interest in Arctic navigation. However, Arctic transportation poses significant challenges because of the heavy ice conditions that exist during both the winter and summer. The profitability of using the NSR is called into question if possible high tariffs are included in the cost estimates.For many years, the NSR was principally used for internal Russian transport and since the end of the 1980s up until 2010, it was in stagnation with total amount of cargo transported annually stood at less than two million tons. Important political decisions in the 90s and increased economic feasibility intensified traffic and freight turnover. In 2013, the NSR Administration (NSRA) was established, new rules for navigation were approved and tariff policies were modified. In 2013, the NSRA issued 635 permits to sail in NSR waters, and 71 transit voyages have since been completed. The total amount of transit cargo was 1.36 million tons. More than 40% of the total number of permits were issued to vessels without ice class [1] according to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping [2]. There are strong technical requirements for vessels attempting to sail the NSR; regardless, several accidents occurred in 2012–2013. Two vessels were dented by ice in the Chukchi Sea in 2012. A tanker was holed in September 2013 and created a real danger of an ecological disaster from fuel leakage for several days. Despite the expectation of an ice-free Arctic, the ice conditions in 2013 were rather difficult, and the Vilkitsky Strait (a key strait in the NSR between the Kara and Laptev seas) was closed by ice for almost the entire navigation period.In this paper, we review the current situation in the Russian Arctic, including political and administrative actions, recent accidents and the associated conditions and lessons learned.Copyright

Arctic Shipping and Risks: Emergency Categories and Response Capacities

The sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk significantly in the last decades. The transport pattern has as a result partly changed with more traffic in remote areas. This change may influence on the risk pattern. The critical factors are harsh weather, ice conditions, remoteness and vulnerability of nature. In this paper, we look into the risk of accidents in Atlantic Arctic based on previous ship accidents and the changes in maritime activity. The risk has to be assessed to ensure a proper level of emergency response. The consequences of incidents depend on the incident type, scale and location. As accidents are rare, there are limited statistics available for Arctic maritime accidents. Hence, this study offers a qualitative analysis and an expert‐based risk assessment. Implications for the emergency preparedness system of the Arctic region are discussed. http://www.transnav.eu the International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation Volume 12

Safety of Industrial Development and Transportation Routes in the Arctic (SITRA) – Collaboration Project for Research and Education of Future High North Experts

Industrial development in the Arctic enhances the potential risk of accidents occurring under severe conditions. Detailed knowledge of the physical environment and understanding of risk reduction methods are necessary for technical experts and young specialists planning to work in companies dealing with the Arctic. The Arctic is a place of close contact between many countries, where harsh and fragile environment demands the most advanced technology for sustainable development and international collaboration to ensure safety of industrial activity. The SITRA (Safety of Industrial Development and Transportation Routes in the Arctic, 2015–2018) project focuses on organizing an international research and educational network of High North experts for joint investigation and teaching of Arctic engineering courses. SITRA is funded by the Norwegian Centre for International cooperation in Education (SIU). The project is a part of the High North Program. It continues the more than 20-year-long Norwegian-Russian collaboration in the field of Ice Engineering and expands it overseas by means of students and staff/professors exchange and joint field work. Canadian and US universities have also joined the team. The SITRA project multiplies the understanding and awareness of the Arctic problems through education and outreach.