This paper highlights main aspects of the shallow water effects on resistance, hull-propeller interaction and propulsive qualities of anicebreaking emergency and evacuation vessel(IBEEVs). The IBEEV is a smallsized, shallow draft vessel, owned and operated by AGIP KCO on the sea basin in the Kazakhstan sector of the Northern Caspian Sea. It was designed specifically to evacuate personnel from offshore oil installations in emergency situations taking also into account a potential hydrocarbon/toxic environment. Because of generally unsatisfactory behavior of first prototypes in full-scale operations, a comprehensive research project was planned by AGIP KCO aimed at assessing overall performanceof the IBEEV as-it-is in order to plan a possible retrofit. A number of activities sequentially involving Navalprogettiand Krylov State Research Center were implemented with the key support from the first author. These activities encompassed analytical and numerical computations, model tests in deep and shallow water. The ultra-shallow water depth showed dramatic influence on the vessel’s resistance, hull-propeller interaction, and bollard pull capability. Finally, the rope pull capability of IBEEV was assessed on the basis of resistance and self-propulsion tests.
