Page 17: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2025)

2. Operational Assessment – After collecting and an- equipment. Upon satisfactory completion of the survey, the alysing the data, the owner/operator and key stakeholders Polar Ship Certi? cate (PSC) is issued by the surveyor.

must conduct an Operational Assessment (OA). The OA is generally structured like a formal risk assessment, assess- Marine traf? c to polar waters such as the North West Pas- ing the risk of each hazard within the Polar Code. For those sage and Northern Sea Route has been increasing as they be- hazards that have a risk higher than the owner’s/operator’s come more accessible due to the increase in sea temperatures. tolerance, risk control measures must be proposed to re- It is critical to understand the hazards of an operation in polar duce the risk to an acceptable level. The OA and proposed waters, to help ensure the safety and security of the vessel, its risk mitigation measures must be ship speci? c. The mitiga- crew, and the environment. tion measures can be achieved by meeting the (applicable) ABS has the experience and tools to help shipowners plan prescriptive regulations within the Polar Code. and execute polar voyages. ABS has helped its clients from start to ? nish through the Polar Code, ranging from non-ice 3. After completing the OA and the risk assessments, classed bulk carriers going to Red Dog, Alaska (see the ABS the OA is formally documented in a report. After determin- Alaskan Advisory here) to heavy icebreakers performing re- ing the risk mitigation measures, the owner/operator must supply missions in the high Canadian Arctic and McMurdo create the Polar Water Operational Manual (PWOM). The station, Antarctica. Reach out to [email protected] for any ice

PWOM provides the crew and company with guidance for class or Polar Code needs.

operations within polar waters. The PWOM should advise

The Author the crew how to safely operate their speci? c vessel in polar

Moakler waters, how to stay within the operational limitations of the

Ed Moakler is Senior Engineer at ABS Harsh En- vessel and offer additional information in the event that op- vironment Technology Center. He graduated from erational conditions go beyond what is expected. As with

Memorial University Newfoundland and Labrador the OA, the PWOM must be ship speci? c.

with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering.

4. The OA report and PWOM are typically submitted

The Author to the class society that reviews it on behalf of the ? ag ad-

Oldford ministration so that the hazards listed in the Polar Code are

Dan Oldford is Technology Manager in the ABS well considered and that all applicable Polar Code require-

Harsh Environment Technology Center. He holds ments are met. Upon con? rmation the OA and PWOM meet a Bachelor’s degree in Ocean and Naval Archi- the requirements, a surveyor will verify the PWOM is avail- tectural Engineering, as well as an engineering

Master’s degree in Ice Mechanics.

able onboard and that it accurately re? ects the vessel’s polar www.marinelink.com 17

MR #8 (1-17).indd 17 MR #8 (1-17).indd 17 8/4/2025 8:34:50 AM8/4/2025 8:34:50 AM