Submarine transportation of hydrocarbons from the arctic

Abstract

A submarine tanker system is presented as a technically feasible, economically viable transportation system to move oil and gas from the Arctic to markets in Western Europe and North America. Proven by over two decades of nuclear submarine operations in the Arctic, submarines can safely and reliably transport cargo under ice over virtually any proposed shipping route in the Arctic, with assurance of year-round delivery at uniform, predictable schedule intervals. To establish the technical feasibility of commercial cargo submarines, baseline designs for a 181,400 dwt submarine oil tanker and a 140,000 m 3 submarine LNG tanker have been developed, using either nuclear or conventionally fueled propulsion plants. The submarine oil tanker design is based on a contract design developed in the 1960's, which has been refined to comply with recent oil pollution regulations. The submarine LNG tanker is an adaptation of that basic design to accommodate cryogenic cargo containment and transfer systems. Approximate characteristics of both designs have been identified, including ship dimensions, cargo system arrangement, propulsion machinery, and operational capabilities. Both submarines are designed to load cargo at a submerged terminal, and to offload cargo in the surfaced mode. Approximate transportation costs are provided for both the oil and LNG submarine tanker systems.