Ice strengthening does not make ramming safe

Would a Royal Navy ship with an unusually reinforced bow suggest a return to ramming, particularly in fisheries protection?

On a major warship it would more readily suggest ice operations. Reinforced OPVs could raise different concerns, but collisions still threaten modern equipment.

An unusually reinforced bow on a major warship would first suggest plans for operations in ice and farther north. Even substantial ice strengthening does not remove the risk of damaging modern electronics in a collision. Fitting similar strength to cheaper OPVs could nevertheless raise different expectations about fisheries protection, since their repair costs are lower. South China Sea encounters are characterized as brinkmanship in which ships accept the risk of impact, rather than necessarily seeking a collision.