Polar Class

This ice load is then used to determine the scantlings and steel grades of structural elements such as shell plating and frames in each location.

A number of research vessels intended for scientific missions in the polar regions are built to PC 5 rating: the South African S. A. Agulhas II in 2012,[6] the American Sikuliaq in 2014,[7] and the British RRS Sir David Attenborough in 2020.

[10] In 2012, the Royal Canadian Navy awarded a shipbuilding contract for the construction of six to eight Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) rated at PC 5.

[20] In 2015, the hull of the Finnish 1986-built icebreaker Otso was reinforced with additional steel to PC 4 level to allow the vessel to support seismic surveys in the Arctic during the summer months.

The latter part of the notation refers to additional structural strengthening based on analysis of the vessel's operational profile and potential ice loading scenarios.

[24] The new PC 4 polar logistics vessel of the Argentine Navy intended to complement the country's existing icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar in Antarctica is currently in design stage.

[25] The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) is in the process of acquiring a new PC 4 rated icebreaker for researching the Arctic region.

[30] The first PC 3 vessels were two heavy load carriers, Audax and Pugnax, built for the Netherlands-based ZPMC-Red Box Energy Services in 2016.

[34][35][36] In April 2015, it was reported that Edison Chouest would build two PC 3 anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTS) for Alaskan operations.

[44] The Finnish multipurpose icebreakers Fennica and Nordica, built in the early 1990s, were assigned PC 3 rating as part of the vessels' Polar Code certification in 2019.

As of 2023[update], the only PC 2 rated vessel in service is the expedition cruise ship Le Commandant Charcot operated by the French company Compagnie du Ponant.

The 270-passenger vessel, capable of breaking up to 2.5 metres (8 ft) thick multi-year ice and taking passengers to the North Pole, was delivered in 2021.

[51][52] While a single vessel was initially scheduled for delivery in 2017, the National Shipbuilding Strategy has since been revised to include two such icebreakers, the first of which is planned to enter service by December 2029.