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| History | |
|---|---|
 Germany | |
| Name | Polarstern |
| Namesake | Pole star |
| Owner | Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung[1] |
| Operator | Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) |
| Port of registry | Bremerhaven, Germany |
| Route | Arctic andAntarctica |
| Ordered | 28 August 1980[1] |
| Builder | Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft atKiel and theNobiskrug atRendsburg |
| Yard number | 707[1] |
| Laid down | 22 September 1981[1] |
| Launched | 6 January 1982[1] |
| Completed | 8 December 1982[1] |
| Identification | |
| Status | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Icebreaker,research vessel |
| Tonnage | 12,614 GT[1] |
| Displacement | 17,300tonnes |
| Length | 117.91 m (386 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 25 m (82 ft 0 in)[1] |
| Draught | 10.7 m (35 ft 1 in)[1] |
| Installed power | Fourdiesel engines, 14,120 kW (18,940 hp)[2] |
| Speed | 15.5knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)[2] |
| Capacity | 124 persons |
| Crew | 44 |
RVPolarstern (meaningpole star) is a German researchicebreaker of theAlfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) inBremerhaven,Germany.Polarstern was built byHowaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft inKiel andNobiskrug inRendsburg, was commissioned in 1982, and is mainly used for research in theArctic andAntarctica. The ship has a length of 118 metres (387 feet) and is adouble-hulled icebreaker. She is operational at temperatures as low as −50 °C (−58 °F).Polarstern can break through ice 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) thick at a speed of 5knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). Thicker ice of up to 3 m (9.8 ft) can be broken by ramming.
On 7 September 1991,Polarstern, assisted by theSwedish arcticicebreakerOden, reached theNorth Pole as the first conventional powered vessels.[3] Both scientific parties and crew took oceanographic and geological samples and had a commontug of war and afootball game on an ice floe. In 2001,Polarstern together withUSCGC Healy reached the pole again.[4] She returned for a third time on 22 August 2011. This time she reported the most frequently recurring ice thickness at 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in) compared with 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in 2001.[5]
On 2 March 2008, one of the vessel's helicopters crashed on a routine flight to the AntarcticNeumayer II base. The German pilot and a Dutch researcher were killed, and three other passengers were injured.[6][7]
On 17 October 2008,Polarstern was the firstresearch ship ever to travel through both theNortheast Passage and theNorthwest Passage in one cruise, thus circumnavigating the North Pole.[8]
The German government in 2015 issued a request for bids on the construction of a replacement forPolarstern, but did not award a contract and eventually withdrew the request in early 2020 as it no longer covered current technological demands for a long-term, efficient and economic vessel.[2]
On 20 September 2019Polarstern sailed fromTromsø, Norway, for a 12 to 14 month-long Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition across the Arctic.[9][10] She settled in an ice floe on 4 October 2019. The aim was drifting with this floe, passing the North pole and eventually reaching open water in theFram Strait.[11] While stuck in the ice in March 2020, a member of the aircraft team who had not yet joined the ship in the Arctic tested positive forCOVID-19. This resulted in the entire aircraft team being placed in isolation in Germany and caused delays in the retrieval of scientific data from around the ship to provide context to the data taken aboard.[12] After 389 days, this 2019 – 2020 arctic expedition successfully ended on 12 October 2020 when the research vessel safely returned to its home port of Bremerhaven, Germany.[13]
A revised request for bids for a replacement, reflecting changes in technology since the first was issued, was expected, withPolarstern II possibly ordered in 2022 to enter service in 2026 or 2027. The new vessel could cost over €800m, and could include hybrid diesel-electric propulsion, integrated under-water robotic systems and several helicopter landing options.[2]
In 2025TKMS won the bid and state that construction will begin in 2027, with a predicted enter to service in 2030.[14] The new costs are estimated at €1.2b, the new Polarstern will be around 160 meter long and have anice class of PC2.[15]
Current listings of all cruises on boardPolarstern as well as associated contents (e.g., tracklines, weekly reports, cruise reports, publications and data) are presented on the platform portal of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) for Polar and Marine Research.[16]
The ship plays a central role in German musicianSchiller's 2010 albumAtemlos (German forbreathless).[17] A track is titled after the ship.[18] It is also featured in the DVD of the same title,[19] showing the musician's expedition on the vessel.
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