EVALUATING COMMERCIAL ARCTIC MARINE TRANSPORTATION WITH POLAR CLASS ICEBREAKERS

Although recent studies have shown the technical and economic potential of Alaskan Arctic marine transportation, the risk assigned by investors to this mode of transportation remains high. The most convincing method of reducing the risks is to successfully operate more powerful ships during the winter months. A decision was therefore made jointly by the U.S. Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard to use the powerful POLAR Class icebreakers to incrementally extend Alaskan marine routes during the winter season. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the first two years of this successful program and to describe plans for the following years.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at Ice Tech '81 sponsored by the Eastern Canadian Section of SNAME, 16-19 June 1981. Proceedings price to members $30.00; non-members $45.00.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers

  601 Pavonia Avenue
  Jersey City, NJ  United States  07306-2907
• Authors:
  • Voelker, R P
  • DEBORD, F W
  • Brennan, T
  • Parker, C W
• Publication Date: 1981

Media Info

• Pagination: n.p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cold weather; Ice navigation; Icebreakers; Icebreaking; Shipping
• Geographic Terms: Arctic Regions
• Old TRIS Terms: Arctic shipping; Arctic transportation; Ice operations
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00330885
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Conf Paper
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 21 1981 12:00AM