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doi:10.2204/iodp.sp.302.2004
OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES
The operational plan includes strategies for transiting through ice to the drill sites and for maintaining station during drilling.
A fleet of icebreakers have been contracted to conduct this expedition. The fleet includes three vessels: a nuclear-powered icebreaker (Sovetskiy Soyuz) that will be the front line in ice breaking; a diesel-powered Icebreaker Polar-20 class (Oden) that will manage the broken ice to protect the drilling operation; and a diesel-powered Icebreaker ICE-10 class drilling vessel (Vidar Viking).
During icebreaking, the prime objective is to transit through a region with a minimum of fuel consumption, vessel damage, and time spent. The strategies, therefore, are ones of avoidance, lead following, and identifying ice environs that would result in minimal resistance. Vessels follow courses that may not be straight in order to minimize the energy and damage. This type of strategy will be followed while the vessels are in transit, but is in stark contrast to ice management strategies.
When on station, ice management requires direct engagement of difficult ice in order to ensure that ice does not impact the stationary, drilling platform, Vidar Viking. The Sovietsky Soyuz and Oden must follow the direction of ice approach to ensure that approaching ice is reduced to a tolerable level for the drilling vessel. The general strategy for ice management, while on station, will have the Sovetskiy Soyuz assigned to break ice first, up-drift of the ice flow. Oden will work within a close radius of the Vidar Viking to manage the ice and maintain a safe drilling zone.