Abstract
Icebreakers are special-purpose ships designed to operate in different ice-covered waters, either independently or during assistance of weaker ships. In the Baltic Sea, as well as elsewhere, they are essential for maintaining continuous sea transport services during wintertime. Icebreaker operations are complex, and every situation in which a vessel requires assistance is unique, due to, e.g. changing ice and weather conditions, geographical location or language proficiency of the crew on board the icebreaker or assisted vessel. The icebreaker crew has considerable freedom to adapt to each situation, yet, for safe operations, there are constraints to which the crew has to conform. The study presented in this paper aims at identifying the constraints on nautical officers on board icebreakers during operations, as well as special situations that increase cognitive load. A work domain analysis based on a group interview with nautical icebreaker officers shows the multitude of tasks performed on board icebreakers. Furthermore, it identifies constraints specific to icebreaker operations such as ice assessment and direct icebreaking, but also generic constraints such as language and communication skills. At times, safety and efficiency come into conflict, resulting in a trade-off between the two. When that happens, safety gets priority, and the operation stops until the situation has been evaluated. In addition, several situations that increase cognitive load are identified, with the common denominator that they add elements of uncertainty, e.g. severe weather and technical malfunctions. Finally, further research within the area of icebreaker operations is recommended, with a continued focus on the system constraints, and their potential for system improvement.
Highlights
When ice conditions are severe in the Baltic Sea, Swedish and Finnish icebreakers jointly assist merchant vessels to ensure safe navigation
The aim of this study is to identify the constraints on nautical officers on icebreakers during operations, and to distinguish any situations that further increase cognitive load
There are likely to be constraints caused by interdepartmental interactions, such as conflicting interests regarding optimal engine power output. These are not taken into consideration by this study. This study, as it was designed, shows the work domain analysis to be an efficient means to depict the constraints outlining the operation of an icebreaker
Summary
When ice conditions are severe in the Baltic Sea, Swedish and Finnish icebreakers jointly assist merchant vessels to ensure safe navigation. The icebreaker assistance is performed either as indirect assistance, e.g. guidance via waypoints indicating the most favourable way through the ice, or as direct assistance, via icebreaking The latter includes, among other operations, breaking loose a vessel that is beset in ice, and escorting it towards lighter ice conditions from where the vessel again can proceed on its own. Technology & Work fatigue to loss of concentration and disruption of cognitive functions (Chambers and Main 2015) and adverse decision making (Strauch 2015). All these factors taken together make icebreaker operations highly demanding and associated with great risk. Less researched are studies focusing on possible actions for improvements within the area of ice navigation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
