Special aspects of iceberg towing in early ice conditions for arctic shelf development

UDK: 622.276.1/.4.04

DOI: 10.24887/0028-2448-2019-10-78-81

Key words: iceberg, towing, ice, technology

Authors: O.Ya. Sochnev (Rosneft Oil Company, RF, Moscow), K.A. Kornishin (Rosneft Oil Company, RF, Moscow), P.A. Tarasov (Rosneft Oil Company, RF, Moscow), Ya.O. Efimov (Arctic research and design center for offshore technology, RF, Moscow), Yu.P. Gudoshnikov (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, RF, Saint Petersburg), A.V. Nesterov (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, RF, Saint Petersburg), I.V. Buzin (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, RF, Saint Petersburg), I.A. Svistunov (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, RF, Saint Petersburg), P.V. Maksimova (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, RF, Saint Petersburg)

This article continues a series of scientific publications on results of iceberg defense research carried out by Rosneft Oil Company in 2016-2017 in the seas of Russian Arctic. The work describes unique experience of iceberg towing in conditions of newly formed sea ice. For the first time ever, feasibility of such operations was confirmed on practice with measurement of all iceberg movement parameters. Towing was carried out by the Novorossiysk diesel icebreaker in ice with concentration of up to 8 of 10 points and thickness of up to 15 cm. In the area of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, an ultra-long 24-hour iceberg towing for more than 90 km was successfully carried out. The paper describes operating conditions of the experiments, determines the icebergs towing force on speed dependence, and also identifies the technological aspects of towing in ice. Based on experiments, optimal tactics for towing icebergs of different sizes under conditions of early ice formation with the means of icebreaking fleet are proposed. Obtained experimental data allow to solve the problem of iceberg towing in the beginning of ice formation, which is extremely important for extension of the drilling season. Results can be used for development of new and update of existing standards of ice management system, as well as for effective and safe development of the Arctic shelf.

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