The arctic submarine, an alternative to ice breaker tankers and pipelines
The dual need to discover new sources of energy and to achieve energy self-sufficiency has resulted in a search for petroleum resources in the North American Arctic by the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Petroleum has been discovered in many localities on land, and increasingly, offshore....
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
1982
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.12846 https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/266775 |
| Summary: | The dual need to discover new sources of energy and to achieve energy self-sufficiency has resulted in a search for petroleum resources in the North American Arctic by the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Petroleum has been discovered in many localities on land, and increasingly, offshore. A number of these are potential commercial fields. A considerable amount of development has already taken place, and full production will be possible at many of the sites by the early 1990s. However, transport systems to bring this new found wealth to world markets are as yet far from fully developed, and are a problem. While there are two and possibly three potential transport technologies, all are e4pensive, high risk "megaprojects" which are unlikely to be ready for transporting the petroleum when it is ready to be transported. The author presents what he believes to be a more versatile and economically viable transport technology: the Arctic Transport Submarine. The Arctic submarine, the history of which is given in the first chapters, is an accomplished fact. Its modification for commercial purposes, given in a later chapter, can be readily achieved. The author reviews: High Arctic petroleum finds and developments, particularly offshore; the characteristics of the "mega-project" alternatives (pipelines, ice-breaker tankers, and giant submarine tankers), existent and proposed; and the obstacles-financial, political, environmental and physical--that confront any potential Arctic Transport developer. He discusses the advantages and vulnerabilities of each of the transport technologies in face of these obstacles; and concludes with why a prototype "Arctic" submarine, with or without towed cargo containers, is now deserving of developmental attention. |
|---|