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The RADARSAT-1 satellite has become an integral tool in tracking icebergs off of the East Coast.
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Oil and water
The oil platforms of the Grand Banks have a particular interest in keeping
up with iceberg monitoring. The four platforms ― Hibernia, Hebron/Ben Nevis,
Terra Nova and White Rose ― all operate in iceberg-infested waters. C-Core,
a research and development firm from St. John’s Newfoundland, use their satellite
mapping to monitor the risk of iceberg impact on these oil platforms.
"First thing that comes to mind is the Titanic," says Des Power of
C-Core. "But a vessel going full-speed and smashing into an iceberg is different
than a stationary vessel with an iceberg impacting on it."
An average iceberg travels at a speed of less than one knot, but the platforms
still wouldn’t risk letting an iceberg impact. If a iceberg looks like it may
come close, then tugboats will be used to tow the icebergs hundreds of kilometres
east, into the Flemish pass. In the case of smaller icebergs, they can sometimes
be shot with water cannons, which disintegrate the iceberg.
The Terra Nova platform, as a floating platform, has an emergency procedure
to disconnect in 15 minutes, in the case that an iceberg was about to hit, though
they have never had to use it.
Hibernia features a concrete sea wall with metal teeth to break up a missed iceberg.
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