Polar multi-year ice thickness and extent will continue to reduce, and the traffic volumes in polar seas are expected to grow. Since the first podded propulsion was installed in an icebreaking vessel more than 30 years ago, Double Acting ships have delivered excellent results, revolutionizing the design and operations of icebreaking vessels. After that a completely new fleet of Double Acting tankers and icebreaking support vessels have successfully proven their abilities. The same development has enabled even larger and more capable ice vessels. Podded propulsion is an attractive solution, making these innovative icebreaking ship concepts technically and commercially feasible.

The Finnish icebreaker Polaris is one of the most advanced ships in its class. Innovative designs were used for the vessel's hull form and propulsion unit arrangement. The vessel can use either liquefied natural gas (LNG) or low Sulphur diesel oil as fuel. The propulsion system of IB Polaris is based on Azipod® propulsion and it applies a novel three propulsion unit concept. Recently, ABB conducted a study to show how an Energy Storage System (ESS) could help improve the overall power efficiency of icebreakers, saving fuel and reducing emissions. In this case study, a real ice operation data and powerplant load profile from icebreaker Polaris was used to simulate the effects of adding an ESS. The simulation indicated substantial benefits to both LNG and diesel operation. The key findings of the study will be presented in this paper.

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