Although climate change is reducing the extent of sea ice extent in the polar region, it also enlarges the operation time window and enables more ships to choose routes where ice is prevalent. Global increases in maritime trade additionally factor into this. The number of polar ships is on the increase and the total exposure to sea ice is growing significantly. Ships sailing through ice-covered regions need to be powerful enough to overcome the additional resistance and strong enough to bear impact with ice. The methodology of designing polar ships, therefore, differs from that for open-water ships.

This book is the first undergraduate and graduate textbook to introduce this topic, ideally for courses on polar ship technology or winter navigation. It sets out the formation process of sea ice, and its physical and mechanical properties, then describes the interaction process between ships and ice for estimating ice load. It introduces methods to evaluate ship performance in ice, including attainable speed and maneuverability, then establishes reliable polar ship rules, especially requirements for ice-strengthening. It sets out experimental methods, both model-scale and full-scale tests, and numerical simulation of ice loading and ship performance.