Polar Class (PC) refers to the ice class assigned to a ship by a classification society based on the Unified Requirements for Polar Class Ships developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). Seven Polar Classes are defined in the rules, ranging from PC 1 for year-round operation in all polar waters to PC 7 for summer and autumn operation in thin first-year ice.
The 2012-built South African polar research vessel S. A. Agulhas II is one of the few vessels rated PC 5 or higher.
The 2020-built SH Minerva is a small expedition cruise ship with Polar Class 5 rating.
The Finnish LNG-powered icebreaker Polaris, built in 2016, is rated Polar Class 4 with an additional notation "Icebreaker(+)" denoting additional strengthening.
The Polar Class 3 icebreaking research vessel Kronprins Haakon is operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute.
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels, such as the icebreaking boats that were once used on the canals of the United Kingdom.
USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) at right breaks ice around the Russian-flagged tanker Renda, 250 miles (400 km) south of Nome, Alaska.
A 17th-century Russian koch in a museum
City Ice Boat No. 1 at the Delaware River. The paddle steamer was built in 1837.
Yermak is considered the first true modern sea-going icebreaker.
