Ice – The Ship Hull Nemesis
For as long as men have traveled and traded by water-routes, ice has been a nemesis for ships and their hulls. And with good reason since, on average, sea ice covers about 25 million square kilometers (9,652,553 square miles) of the planet—amounting to about two-and-a-half times the area of Canada. To wage ice battle, even in the earliest days of polar exploration, sailors used strengthened ships to ply icy waters. Naturally, these ships were originally wooden and based on existing designs but reinforced…
Underwater Hull Protection to Arctic Vessels
When it comes to protecting the hulls of ice-going vessels, the glassflake reinforced surface treated composite (STC) Ecospeed has proven to be remarkably durable, typically outperforming many specialized ice class paints. The fact that the coating is non-toxic is also particularly important for ice trading vessels where toxic AF coatings are rapidly scraped off and deposit their toxic ingredients in what are often particularly sensitive environments. Icebreakers and ships that trade in icy waters have their own very specific problems when it comes to protecting their underwater hull.
Stena Atlantica to be Named in Dubai
The ice-classed oil tanker, Stena Atlantica, will be named in Dubai. The vessel has been built in compliance with Swedish/Finnish Ice Class notation 1 A, meaning that it can be safely maneuvered in difficult ice conditions. The naming ceremony will take place at the Dubai Dry Docks in the presence of a large number of guests from all over the world. The vessel’s Godmother will be Outi Löw, the wife of Michael G:son Löw, President and CEO of Sweden’s largest oil company, Preem Petroleum. Stena Atlantica is known as a Stena Ice-Aframax. It is 250 metres in length, 44 metres across its beam and has a capacity of 115 000 dwt. It was built at the Samsung Heavy Industries Shipyard in S. Korea and she sailed from there for Dubai on 14th November.
