EXPERIMENTAL STUDYING A POSSIBILITY OF CLOSE-COUPLED TOWING OF LARGE-SIZED VESSELS BY ICEBREAKER

The experimental studies in the ice model tank of the Krylov State Research Centre are described in the paper. This study aimed at researching a possibility of close-coupled towing of large-sized vessels by icebreaker. The displacement of considered commercial vessels is several times greater than the icebreaker displacement. Due to the fact that an amount of cargo transported along the Northern Sea Route is growing every year and new terminals are being constructed for the export of raw materials extracted in the Arctic, it has been shown in the paper that new transport vessels with high cargo capacity should be designed and built for the efficient operation of terminal. It has also been shown that the organization of independent year-round operation of such vessels in the Arctic region is extremely difficult, therefore, even at the stage of their design it’s important to consider the possibility of their escorting by existing icebreakers. The feasibility of close-coupled towing in the escorting of large-sized vessels with low ice class by icebreakers in the Arctic waters has been studied in the paper. The models of the greatest existing nuclear-powered icebreaker and conditional bulk carrier are used as an object of the ice model tests. The study of the close-coupled towing features in the continuous flat ice conditions is carried out at straightforward movement and gyration, as well as for the case of an emergency stop of the icebreaker. During ice model tests the ice forces acting on the hull of the model are measured, as well as the load on a towing notch with rubber fenders in the stern of icebreaker and the tension in the wire rope. The comparison of the wire rope tension with its breaking force is taken as a criterion to assess the possibility of the close-coupled towing operation. The results can be used as the basis for choosing the hull concept of the future large-sized vessels, its ice class and main dimensions and in strategic simulations of Arctic marine transport systems.