Application of Special-Purpose Equipment for Management of Ice Buildups Around Prirazlomnaya Platform

From experience, OIRFP Prirazlomnaya (offshore ice-resistant fixed platform) installed in the Pechora Sea was seen to accumulate sustained piles of rubble ice in winter time. These features were formed along the platform walls and rested on the seabed (berm) obstructing operation of supply ships and crew evacuation. Researchers from the Krylov State Research Centre, St. Petersburg, were studying the ice piling processes and behavior under variation of environmental conditions (e.g., changes in ice drift headings) during design as well as service life of the platform. Moreover, the Krylov Centre ice basin was engaged in development of various ice management techniques to reduce the ice buildup as well as to remove rubble ice piles. The results of these investigations, which are presented in the paper, have led to a relatively simple solution for removing the rubble ice piles with a special-purpose shovel (excavator) mounted on the deck of a supply vessel. The paper describes details of the suggested solution and its implementation. The efficiency of this ice pileup management method has been proven in actual operating conditions.