The Arctic, with its harsh and cold climate, poses new and crucial challenges. Ice, cold temperatures and darkness make operations more hazardous and the risk to personnel, vessels and the fragile environment more severe.
DNV’s programme director for cold climate shipping, Morten Mejlænder-Larsen, is convinced it is just a matter of time before oil and gas exploration in the Arctic will see a boost. “Surveys show that 22-25% of the world’s remaining undiscovered petroleum resources are thought to be located in the Arctic. These surveys combined with high energy prices will encourage more and more companies to look for opportunities in Arctic waters in the years to come.”
Furthermore, paradoxically due to global warming, ice conditions are increasingly becoming more favourable for Arctic operations. “We see great changes in ice conditions, with more of the thinner first-year ice that melts during the summer season and less of the harder multi-year ice. This implies increasing periods of easier access to Arctic waters,” says Mr Mejlænder-Larsen.
Not just a walk in the park
However, operating in the Arctic is not just a walk in the park. Vessels and personnel face constant hazards. According to Mr Mejlænder-Larsen, some of the toughest challenges for cold climate operations are the icing of equipment and the geographical location itself. “We’re talking about vessels operating far from both shore-based assistance such as supply boats and rescue arrangements,” he says.
Although Arctic conditions are extreme, solutions and standards are constantly being developed to safeguard operations and minimise the footprint from shipping in these areas. Morten Mejlænder-Larsen elaborates, “DNV invests substantially in research into cold climate operations, and we’re currently looking into areas such as the prediction of the effects of extreme ice features on ships and platforms, the effect of icing caused by sea spray, new Escape, Evacuation and Rescue (EER) solutions, decision-support systems when operating in ice, the feasibility of transpolar routes, etc. In addition, we constantly work to update our rules and notations to reflect the challenges faced when operating in ice and cold climates.”