The United States could ramp up its production of Arctic-faring ships with the help of a new consortium of universities and national labs from the U.S., Canada and Finland.
Engineers from the University of Michigan are members of the consortium, called ICE-SHIELD, along with engineers from the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock Division, Memorial University in Canada, the National Research Council of Canada, as well as Aalto University and the VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland.
As Arctic sea ice melts and thins in a warming world, companies and governments are moving more cargo through the Arctic. The emerging seaways can save time and fuel, but the ice comes back whenever it’s cold, and most vessels aren’t built to handle it. Icebreaker ships lead commercial and naval vessels through icy water, clear ice from frozen ports and harbors, and rescue vessels trapped by thick sea ice.
","author_name":"Michigan Engineering "}