Abstract
Main purpose of the study is to develop a transit model for icebreaking cargo vessels in the Northern Sea Route and to select optimum sea routes with the shortest navigation time and the lowest operation cost. This numerical model executed with basic information such as ship capabilities, transit directions and months of transit, can calculate total transit distance and elapsed time, mean speed, operation cost for each vessel. In the transit model. environment information such as the site-specific ice conditions, wave and wind states are utilized for four different months (April, June, August, and October) along the Northern Sea Route. The model also defines a necessary period of an icebreaker escort. Then the optimum sea routes are selected and visually displayed on the digital map using a commercial software ArcGIS. Usefulness of the selected sea routes is discussed.
