Icebreaker and method of operating an icebreaker

摘要

The present invention relates to an icebreaking vessel, which includes a hull with a bottom (2), a bow part (3) and a stern part (4). The bow part (3) includes a forward inclined upper bow portion (31), a bulbous lower bow portion (33), and an intermediate bow portion (32). The vessel is designed with a construction water line (W1), an upper ice water line (W3) and a lower ice water line (W2). In order to improve the icebreaking capacity of the vessel, an upper surface of the bulbous lower bow portion (33) is arranged to be at or in the vicinity of the water surface when the vessel operates at the construction water line (W1) of the vessel. When the vessel operates at the lower ice water line (W2) a lower surface of the bulbous lower bow portion (33) is arranged to penetrate the water surface. When the vessel operates at the upper ice water line (W3) the forward inclined upper bow portion (31) is arranged to penetrate the water surface. The present invention also relates to method for operating the icebreaking vessel.