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Background
— AOPS Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship Icebreaker (Aker) |
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Update: (Aug 2009) According to CP, the AOPS project has been "postponed indefinitely" pending a new
Federal shipbuilding strategy.
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Details of the Aker Arctic concept for the CF's AOPS have been
released. [1] Aker's AOPS concept is visually distinct from all notional impressions previously released. As
icebreaker specialists, Aker Arctic has applied lessons from existing commerical designs – the
hull of AOPS resembles the ARC 105 series hull albeit with a narrower beam. Superficial similarities aside,
the icebreaking method is identical – this AOPS concept employs Aker's stern-first DAS approach.
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AOPS – Double Acting Ship "with Wings"
DAS relies on azimuthing electric propulsion pods – in this case, tractors. For icebreaking (1m level ice, IACS
Polar Class 5) these pods are directed rearwards and the ship proceeds into the ice field. The stern rises up onto any
solid ice and water flow from the props might be directed at the ice but there is little, if any, ramming. The aft
hull has been shaped for such stern-first activities allowing a more finely-shaped bow than a conventional
icebreaker.
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Since the bow form is shaped for waves not thick ice, the DAS hullform also improves open water handling. This is
essential since the AOPS is expected to patrol temperate seas in winter. To further improve handling in open water,
Aker uses retractable Active Fin Stabi- lizers amidships to reduce rolling motions. AFS would likely be the Type
S from Blohm + Voss Industries. [2] Top speed in open water should be 20 knots which is at least a 5 knot
improvement over the current Kingston class MCDVs.
Complement would be 45 (with accommodations for another 40).
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Specs:
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Aker Arctic AOPS Concept
[3]
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| Displ.: |
in the range of 6,940 tonnes |
| Length:
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LOA 109.6m, LWL 101.1m, LBP 98.6m |
| Breadth: |
BOA 18.2m, BWL 17.6m, |
Areas:
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volume 6771 m3, wetted surface, 2323
m2,
midship area 113.9 m2, waterplane
area 1,529 m2, LCB (aft of FP) 49.7 m. |
| Power: |
4 x 4500 kW gen., 2 x 7500 kW azipod |
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Other features of the Aker AOPS concept are:
Seakeeping: Sea State 6 for transit, fuelling, and ship's boat launch/ recovery, Sea State 5 for boarding
operations, and Sea State 3 for helicopter operations.
Cargo / Vehicle Handling
• Up to five TEU [ 20 foot ISO ] containers (1 up to 30 tonnes)
• Bv 206 amphibious vehicle (+ LOSVs and a pick-up truck )
• Ship's stores for 120-day mission
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Survival: 2 x Arctic rescue boats, 2 x 70-person lifeboats
Helicopter Facilities / Operations:
• CH-146 Griffon (CCG B212 or 412) - landing, stowing, refuelling,
and minor onboard
maintenance.
• CH-148 Cyclone - landing and refuelling.
• CH-149 Cormorant - landing, stowing, re-fuelling, and minor
onboard maintenance.
Armament: 40mm L/70 Bofors + 12.7mm for close-in defence |
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[1] The details come from an industry day for AOPS and were published in Warship Technology March 2009 (pp. 12-14), the journal of the The Royal Institution of Naval
Architects in London. Content for this article came from Principal Engineer, Dan McGreer, from Vancouver-
based STX Canada Marine Inc (formerly Aker Yards Marine Inc – Korea's STX became the parent corporation for
Aker yards in late 2008).
[2] STX/Aker have considerable experience with large cruise ships, a vessel type which often employs Active Fin
Stabilizers. Of course, a retractable form of AFS (Blohm + Voss Type S or equivalent system) is essential for an
icebreaker. Between the AFS and a Double-Acting Ship hullform, Aker just might be able to satisfy both
Arctic and temperate patrol roles – although weight remains a problem for the latter.
[3] Abreviations used translate as follows: LOA = Length Over All, LWL = Length at Water Line, LBP =
Length Between Perpendiculars, LCB = Longitudinal Centre of Buoyancy, BOA =
Breadth Over All, BWL = Breadth at Water Line, and FP = Forward
Perpendicular.
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