Russian Arctic Seas Navigational conditions and accidents [Hardcover]

For safe operations in the Arctic, it is critical to understand the natural conditions and to learn from the experiences of ice pilots who have worked there. In the context of planning the PetroArctic project, accounts of seagoing activities in the Russian Arctic Seas that ersulted in accidents have been gathered and are now made available in this bilingual (Russian-English) volume. Here especially, the physical environment and navigation issues for the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi seas are described. Fully half of the book describes accidents induced by heavy ice conditions since 1900: 94 accidents are carefully reported and classified. Among these, the accidents involve shipwrecks, forced drift (ice jet as special case), overwintering, and various types of vessel damage. Most accounts include details such as distinguishing features, behavior of the crew, photos, and maps, which reveal ice conditions, date, location, and vessels involved (for each of four seas). The book will be useful to scientists, industrial planners and a wide audience interested in the Arctic Seas.

With accounts of 94 ice-related seafaring accidents in the Russian Arctic Sea, this book is a welcome aid to understanding these treacherous waters, covering the physical environment and navigation issues for the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi seas.

Introduction.- Common Features of the Russian Arctic Seas.- The main stages of Northern Sea Navigation and Vessels Development.- The Kara Sea.- The Laptev Sea.- The East-Siberian Sea.- The Chukchi Sea.- Conclusion.- References.- Indexes

Important sources of information about safe shipping in the harsh sailing conditions in the Arctic are the detailed experiences of the ice pilots who have worked in those seas. To this end and in the context of planning the PetroArctic project, this valuable reference gathers accounts of seagoing activities in the Russian Arctic Seas that resulted in accidents and makes them avl¹