Drifting with the Whales: Feasibility Analysis and Concept Design of a Drifting Ice Vessel for studying the behaviour of Bowhead Whales in North-East Greenland

The subject of this research is the concept design of a compact and economically feasible platform for studying the behaviour of bowhead whales in the ice-infested water around the coast of North-East Greenland and particularly in the Fram Strait. The study is focused on the capabilities of the vessel to operate in a dynamic ice-infested environment and on the strategies to be used for surviving in such a harsh area. An extensive part of the research consists in an environmental study of the ice and climatic conditions of the Fram Strait which are barely available in literature. The design is carried out using a System Engineering approach in order to evaluate the mission and its requirements and to transform them into high-level concepts which are compared through the usage of an Analytic Hierarchy Process. The ice-breaking capabilities are evaluated using the Net Thrust Concept and the ice loads in compressive ice are calculated through a quasi-static approach with ISO19906 standard for Arctic offshore structures. The final concept design proposes a vessel that can accommodate a crew of six people and that can perform the research activity also underwater through a moon pool. The vessel is able to reach the operational location autonomously and to drift following the ice movements towards South. Moreover, it is able to cope with compressive ice events thanks to a rounded hull that lifts the vessel up when compressed by ice. Overall, the construction and operation of the Drifting Ice Vessel are judged to be feasible. However, the task is not without risks and further experiments, tests and trials are recommended, to verify more deeply and validate the ice-loads estimation and the lifting behaviour of the hull.