Polar Summers

Shackleton's ship ENDURANCE was trapped at latitude 74 S deep into the frozen waters of Antarctica's Weddell Seas. Since December 1914, the Endurance had battled unusually heavy ice conditions. A North East gale blowing on and off for six straight days compacted the pack ice against the Antarctic ice shelf, trapping the Endurance within it.

Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, became trapped in?pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed. The crew escaped by camping on the sea ice and then used the lifeboats to reach?Elephant Island and ultimately?South Georgia Island. The wreck of?Endurance?was discovered just over a century later.

A few years earlier In 1912, a large British ocean liner,?named Titanic, on its way to the city of New York, struck an iceberg and sank in Iceberg Alley, which lead to the death of more than 1,500 people.

Soon after the?Titanic?sank, an International Ice Patrol was established to track icebergs and warn ships which continues to this day. Two years later in 1914 maritime nations gathered in London and adopted the International Convention for the Safety of Live at Sea ( SOLAS Convention)

In those times, Endurance was the only vessel in the area.

Today on January 1 st 2023 a large number of cruise ships are sailing in Antarctic Peninsula.

Sailing in polar waters brings on new challenges and risks, not only for the ships but also for the polar environment and those dependent on it.

Through its adoption of the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters – the Polar Code – the IMO and its members recognize the importance of helping ship owners to manage these risks and to protect the environment in these regions.

Chart of the area South of Cape Horn, an area where depths are dramatically reduced from 2000 meters to below 100 meters which "inspires" rolling or rogue waves to go higher than in the deeper waters.

Rogues, called 'extreme storm waves' by scientists, are those waves that are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves, are very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves.

Exactly how and when rogue waves form is still under investigation, but there are several known causes: Constructive interference or Focusing of wave energy.

Speed of the own ship in the area of high swell as well where ice is expected, to be reduced to a "safe speed".

Abstract from m/v Explorer accident report:" The Master should have altered course to open water and not have entered the ice field during darkness. However, once he had entered the ice field and approached the “wall of ice”, there is no indication that he reduced the m/v Explorer’s speed as he approached and then made contact with the “wall of ice”.

Abstract from the liner, m/v Maxim Gorky: which was traveling at 14 to 18 knots when it ran into a large ice floe - not an iceberg. Standard practice for pilots experienced in the icy waters in the region, north of the Arctic Circle and west of the Norwegian archipelago of Spitsbergen, is to proceed much more slowly.

Nowadays, climate change impacts ships sailing and operating in polar regions.

Extreme weather conditions are to be considered when planning ships' operations and itineraries in addition to ice concentrations and development.

Climate change also requires more respect and attention from all involved: seaman and sea woman planning, preparing, and executing the operation and itinerary, naval architecture involved in the design of the new expedition ships as well as the shipyards where these vessels are being built.

Zodiacs are indispensable inflatable boats used to transport passengers on excursions away from the cruise ship. They allow passengers to go ashore in remote locations and to get closer to nature during their voyage. In these ways, Zodiacs are essential to the expedition cruise experience.?

Understanding the limitations of the Zodiac landing operation and implementing additional guidelines for expedition team training are just a few topics to look at in the future in order to mitigate the risks.

NON SOLAS

Numerous pleasure crafts and yachts as well as fishing fleets are seasonally employed and visiting the polar waters. Both groups of these NON-SOLAS vessels are already under the monitoring of IMO's member states and new guidelines for the same are expected soon.