Status and needs for ice tank testing in a changing climate

150 years ago, the first modern icebreaker in the world was designed by the naval architect Carl Ferdinand Steinhaus and built for purpose of removing ice barriers on the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany. No model tests were performed at that time. Later, in the first half of the 20^th century, "model tests" for ships were carried out in natural ice on lakes. In the 1950^th the first-generation ice model basins were put in operation and ice model testing became a standard method in the icebreaker design process. This paper discusses the influence of the economic and environmental development in arctic regions, driven by shipping and offshore activities in environmental changing Arctic Waters, on the ice model basin design, equipment and testing methods. The developments will be presented with examples from The Hamburg Ship Model Basin (HSVA). To complete the overview, an outlook to future trends is attempted.