Station-Keeping Trials in Ice: Ice and Metocean Conditions

In March 2017, Statoil performed station-keeping trials in drifting ice in the Bay of Bothnia with the two anchor handling tug supply vessels Magne Viking and Tor Viking. During the trials observations of ice and metocean conditions were performed via a range of platforms and techniques. The purpose of the observations was to document the main physical parameters affecting the station-keeping vessel and ice management vessel, as well as giving tactical information on ice conditions and input to simultaneous numerical simulations. Measurements of meteorological parameters (wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, etc.) were done from the two vessels and supplemented with manual observations. Ice drift was independently measured by drifting ice trackers and ADCPs (also measuring ocean current) moored on the sea bed. Measurements of ice thickness were carried out with moored Ice Profiling Sensors (IPSs) and manual ice core samples, which were also analyzed for salinity and temperature profiles. The IPS ice thickness data was later processed together with the ice drift to provide 2D spatial data. The deepest ice ridge keels ranged from 5.4 m at the site with the most benign ice conditions to 10.9 m at the most severe site. Ridge frequency also increased from 2 ridges km⁻¹ to 16 ridges km⁻¹ at the most severe site (given a keel threshold of 3 m). In the present study, statistical summaries of the different time series collected at the sites of the station-keeping trials are presented, highlighting the variability in the ice conditions. Using the vessel tracks and overall drift of the broken channels, ice thickness and drift measurements are classified as being inside or outside the managed ice zone.