Research on Sea Ice and Local Ice Load Monitoring System for Polar Cargo Vessels

Sea ice and the resulting loads are major safety concerns for vessels operating in ice-covered regions. This study presents a tailored sea ice and local ice load monitoring system specifically designed for polar cargo vessels. The system employs shipboard cameras coupled with a DeepLab v3+-based algorithm to achieve real-time ice concentration identification, demonstrating 90.68% accuracy when validated against historical Arctic Sea ice imagery. For structural load monitoring, we developed a hybrid methodology integrating numerical simulations, full-scale strain measurements, and classification society standards, enabling the precise evaluation of ice-induced structural responses. The system’s operational process is demonstrated through comprehensive case studies of characteristic ice collision scenarios. Furthermore, this system serves as an exemplary implementation of a navigation assistance framework for polar cargo vessels, offering both real-time operational guidance and long-term reference data for enhancing ice navigation safety.