New series of flexible ice-class service boat designs
OSD has introduced a new range of ice-class vessel designs
The OSD service vessels will fulfil tasks such as anchor handling, ice management, towing, personnel transfer, environmental clean-up and safety/standby operations.
The ice-class range has been designed with the benefit of OSD’s experience in the development of the shallow-draft anchor-handling tug supply vessels Arctic and Antarctic for Ark Shipping. These vessels, developed in close cooperation with the owner, have Bureau Veritas 1A Ice Class Notation and are fully equipped to operate in the Caspian Sea where ice can often accumulate to a thickness of 80cm in the winter.
Vessels designed for these conditions must be able to operate effectively in cold conditions and in first-year or floating ice where shore facilities are limited. Typical design requirements are increased hull strength, special installations for tank heating and winterisation, good manoeuvrability and shallow draft.
The vessels’ propulsion systems can be adapted to suit specific roles. Options include fixed- or controllable-pitch propellers with or without nozzles, driven by a diesel, hybrid or diesel electric power plant. Podded propellers are also an option. In this way, OSD claims, designs can be optimised for maximum bollard pull, high speed transfer, or slow-speed operation for ice management or standby operations.
