This year’s summer students at classification and integrity body DNV of Norway have come up with a radical sea-train design concept for Arctic operation.
The theme of their assignment was: “Sustainable adaption to climate change – Arctic opportunities and threats”.
In the space of six weeks this summer, 13 hand-picked students worked on their concept.
They chose the year, 2050, by which time the Arctic Ocean will be free of ice all summer. And if ice forms in winter, it will be first-year ice that is easy to break.
They call their solution AMV Njord – Arctic Modular Vessel.
This is a ship that is designed like a train and consists of several modules, each of which is 200m long. The ship’s maximum length would be 1.8km (1.1 miles. Each module (barge) would be equipped with a para-sail. The students designed a bow that rotates so that it can change from a normal bow for use in open seas into an ice-breaking bow.
At each end, there would be a 200m long propulsion unit with an engine and submersible propeller thrusters. In addition to auxiliary wind power, the ship would also feature hydrogen fuel cells.
They argue that, since the ship-train is to sail right across the Arctic Ocean, there is very little need for traditional navigation and that navigation should be based on advanced satellite technology.
Experienced staff at DNV have evaluated the concept and it appears that they have been unable to find any “faults” in the students’ work.
On the contrary, many have apparently been full of enthusiasm and admiration for the innovative concept.
The five young women and eight young men, all from Scandinavia, have varied backgrounds ranging from biology and energy to IT, logistics and naval architecture.
When the concept was presented at DNV’s head office in Oslo, representatives of three Norwegian ministries had asked to be allowed to attend, plus shipping companies, equipment suppliers and others in the maritime industry were represented.
DNV senior Gustav Lybaek Heiberg said the bottom line of the challenge was to attract the cleverest students and get them to address such challenges with fresh eyes.