Implementation of ship performance test in brash ice channel

Vessels operating in the Baltic Sea and northern regions should satisfy the ice class rules for safe navigation; thus, shipyards should determine the most effective propulsion capacity and hull form during the design stage of a vessel. This can be done using a model test in an ice model basin and/or Finnish Swedish Ice Class Rules (FSICR) formulas. This study focused on brash ice testing and analysis methodology using a square-type ice model basin. The model ice preparation and property measurement procedures were introduced, and the preparation procedures for the brash ice channels were developed based on the guidelines of the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi) and Swedish Transport Agency (2011). The analysis methodology for the towed propulsion condition was described as well. Ship performance tests for the model ship have been carried out at ballast/scantling drafts in two different brash ice thicknesses for Ice Classes 1A and 1B in the ice model basin of the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO). Model test results were then compared with the results derived from the FSICR formulas and the ice operating condition by the installed engine was verified to evaluate the ship's performance in a brash ice channel.