The navigation in ice infested waters has become very important for commercial routes and oil exploration activities during the past 20 years. Both these fields require specially constructed ships which are capable to sail in safe conditions. One of the first steps for the ship design is to define the area where the ship will be operated. A reliable definition of the area in terms of ice characteristics is essential to tailor the ship on the requested performances.

Navalprogetti Srl has recently completed a full-scale ice property test campaign in the Kazakhstan sector of the North Caspian Sea. Purpose of the campaign was to gather more data of the mechanical properties of sea ice in the Caspian Sea by utilizing different test methods. Flexural strength of the sea ice was measured by producing in-situ cantilever beams and simply supported beams. In addition, temperature profiles were measured and salinity samples were obtained from the ice. The test locations were chosen in order to do tests in different ice thicknesses and different water salinity.

The measured flexural strength values were finally compared with the theoretical flexural strength values calculated with the Timco methodology.