However, because this voyage included objectives of a scientific nature, six months' advance notice was required, as stipulated in Cabinet Order 400 of the Russian Republic, "Approval of Temporary Regulations of Granting Permission for Scientific Research Activities and Sightseeing Cruises in the Contiguous Zone to the Arctic Coast of the Russian Federation".
To expedite approval of the voyage, meetings and discussions were held with CNIIMF, Russian partner of INSROP, to settle the request to be submitted by the Russian agency. On March 30, 1995, the approval was duly granted. Negotiations were held five times with the owner of icebreaking cargo ships, MSC, before a charter contract was signed in June 1995. Finally the SOF chartered the Kandalaksha. One of the nineteen SA-15 class ships built from 1982 onward, the Kandalaksha is a multi-purpose icebreaking cargo ship constructed in Finland, with a length of 174m and cargo capacity of 14,700 tons at the Arctic subdivision loadline (Figure 5.1). The Kandalaksha belongs to the ULA class, the highest ice class of the current Russian freighters. After loading 14,000 tons of magnesite in China and 4,000 tons of boric acid in Russia, the vessel anchored at Yokohama for preparation of the experimental voyage. During the three days before the Kandalaksha left port on August 1, sensors were mounted and connected with the measuring instruments and data acquisition/analysis devices were mounted as listed below. Finally, the overall system was thoroughly checked. The locations of sensors are illustrated in Figure 5.1. All sensors were linked to a measuring center in a room, where recording and analytical work were to be carried out. The following equipment was taken on board:
* GPS and a PC: To determine ship position, speed, turning radius, etc.
* Modem and PC system: Installed in the radio room, to receive digital data of satellite ice images
* Accelerometers: Three sensors at the bow and two at the midship to measure the accelerations of the ship in ice.
* Vertical gyro: Installed in the measuring center to measure pitch and roll of the ship
* CCD-TV cameras: Two in the bow and one on the side, to monitor ice conditions and ice-breaking phenomena and for measurement of ice concentration and thickness by image processing.
* Shaft Power Meter: Mounted on the propeller shaft to measure shaft thrust, torque, rate of revolution and shaft horsepower.
* Pressure transducers: Four transducers for measurement of the rudder piston pressure to estimate rudder torque.
* Analog data recorders and PC systems: Installed in the measuring center to acquire and analyze sensor signals.
* An electroconductivity meter, a refraction salinometer: to measure the salinity of seawater.
A notable feature of the experimental NSR voyage of the Kandalaksha was the opportunity to conduct a wide variety of quantitative measurements on a freighter under full cargo.
Major scientific and technical activities carried out on this test voyage were as follows.
[1] Ship's logs written in Russian were translated into English and analyzed. All information on ice conditions along the route is recorded for inclusion in basic data. These data were used for comparison with existing navigational results in published reports to evaluate the experimental voyage throughout.
[2] Satellite images of ice conditions were received successively during the voyage to study their applicability to rational navigation in the NSR.
[3] Propulsion performance and turning tests were carried out to provide their quantitative data and assessment of the SA-15's navigation performance in ice-covered water.
