Patent ID: 8523483

Claim:
A method for clearing an approaching floating ice mass, comprising: locating a hydrocarbon development platform in a marine environment, the marine environment comprising a large body of water and a water surface; determining a direction from which the ice mass is approaching the hydrocarbon development platform; providing an intervention vessel, the intervention vessel having a water-agitating mechanism associated therewith; positioning the intervention vessel generally between the hydrocarbon development platform and the approaching ice mass; actuating the water-agitating mechanism in order to propagate artificially generated waves towards a leading edge of the approaching ice mass; and continuing to operate the water-agitating mechanism so as to fracture the ice mass along the leading edge, causing small ice pieces to separate from the ice mass, wherein the marine environment is a bay, a sea or an ocean in the Arctic region of the earth, wherein the water-agitating mechanism is one or more gyroscopic systems attached to the intervention vessel.