This set includes:

Handling Ships in First-Year Ice, 2nd Edition 2018
ISBN: 9781906915551

The Nautical Institute has launched the second edition of its practical guide to shiphandling in ‘new ice’ conditions in the Baltic, North Atlantic and St Lawrence Seaway. 

Handling ships in first-year ice demands specialist knowledge and skills. Ice remains a major obstacle for commercial traffic and has the potential to damage propellers, main engines, rudders and hull plating. It limits the speed and manoeuvrability of vessels, putting them at greater risk of collision with structures and other vessels.

This second edition is in a more accessible format, with enhanced diagrams illustrating shiphandling techniques. The text has been updated to take into account the Polar Code, heavier shipping traffic in ice-affected waters and ports, improved communications and new methods of detecting ice. More explanation has been included about the phenomenon of icing and its effect on ship stability.

The author, Captain Johan Buysse MM MSc MNI, uses his wide experience of operating ice class vessels in the North Atlantic and the Baltic to equip the reader with a good understanding of the risks that ice can pose and practical ways to mitigate them. Capt Buysse admits that he was on a steep learning curve when he started out:

'At one moment in my career, at the beginning of winter, an owner transferred me from a 4,000dwt class 1A, 13kt vessel to a 21,000gt, 1A Super class, 19kt ro-ro ship. All of a sudden, all hell broke loose. From chugging along in leisurely fashion on an old lady, a few days later I had to handle what seemed like an untamed beast!'

The book progresses logically from voyage preparation, through navigating in ice at sea, in fairways and under pilotage, to berthing and mooring. Separate sections cover icebreaker assistance, notch-towing and a comprehensive glossary of ice terminology.

Captain David ‘Duke’ Snider FNI, Past President of The Nautical Institute, said: 'Handling Ships in Ice has been a mainstay on board ships operating in ice-covered Baltic waters. This new edition takes into account changes in ship construction technology, new methods of depicting ice conditions, new regulations and evolved practices.'

Polar Ship Operations: A Practical Guide, 2nd Edition
ISBN: 9781906915568

Interest in the polar regions is growing as the season for accessing these remote and hostile areas is lengthening. The nascent shipping ventures in these regions face new challenges and risks and this hard, unforgiving environment requires diligence and deliberation in the planning and execution of voyages.

Operating ships within any ice regime requires knowledge, skills and awareness beyond that of many mariners, particularly when sailing in waters affected by hard multi-year and glacial ice. Should things go wrong, little assistance is available in polar regions, so mariners must be self-sufficient. 

Captain Snider brings the full benefit of his extensive experience in polar shipping and as a highly qualified ice navigator to describe the human, technical, environmental and operational challenges of transiting polar seas. This new edition has been updated to take account of IMO’s Polar Code, which came into force in 2017.