How would a ship designed for warm oceans fair in such a environment as the Antarctic ocean? I assume the outdoor pools will need to be drained, but how effectively could such a ship operate in such cold and harsh conditions. This assumes they stay away from ice fields.
Well, many of them have been built in Finland in mid-winter so it’s not like the steel will brittle or anything. For testing all the AC-room manometres had to be filled with mild alcohol while they can use water in the Caribbean - expect a lot of similar small nuisances.
Just like a car, a ship has basically a lot of extra heat because the engine will produce half of its energy as heat no matter what. I’ve been in sea trials in Gulf of Finland in April - not quite Antarctic but it was chilly- and they kept the aft deck jacuzzi open all the way back. My guess is some places will be uncomfortable, but operating will be just normal. As long as you avoid the ice.