Arctic Class (IACS Polar Class)

IACS Polar Class is the unified ice-strengthening scheme of seven notations, PC1 through PC7, set by IACS Unified Requirements for Polar Class Ships (URI) and adopted into the IMO Polar Code, which entered force 1 January 2017 under SOLAS and MARPOL. PC1 covers year-round operation in all polar waters; PC7 covers summer and autumn operation in thin first-year ice. Each class fixes hull scantlings, machinery, and the ice-load design point. It is distinct from the Finnish-Swedish ice classes (1A Super, 1A, 1B, 1C), which address Baltic first-year ice for assisted operation.