Ice-covered Arctic Sea optimized pathfinding based on alternative fuel and GHG emission cost function

The cost-effective route is determined by applying the A* algorithm on a grid map of the Arctic Sea. Three types of vessels are selected to run on diesel, methanol, Dimethyl ether (DME), LNG, B20, and hydrogen. First, fuel consumption and total costs are tested and benchmarked at different vessel speeds to observe changes in the desired output parameters. Then, two Northeast and Northwest passages from Tromsø are considered in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean to find the optimal route for each fuel type, where ice thickness affects the total cost function of the optimization. The results suggest that along the eastbound route and using the hydrogen-powered vessel, the shortest distance (3292.8 nm) can be found. Methanol-fueled ships have the lowest total price, but for the east passage, their optimal route is the longest. It is found that the ice-factor increase causes an 11.17% increase in total cost for all fuel cases.