Recent attention on ice class shipping has generally focused on energy-related ship types. That is not surprising since the vast majority of known oil and gas reserves are to be found in the Arctic region and - although international conventions would seem to preclude early exploitation - more can be expected to be found in the Antarctic. The general perception is that most ice class new-buildings are tankers, LNG carriers or ships otherwise connected with energy exploitation, but the truth is that most of the 518 vessels on order are general cargo ships and container carriers. When drilling down further, it is noticeable that the great majority of those have been given one of the three highest ice classes, whereas the tankers and offshore vessels are being built to lower ice class standards.
展开▼
