The prestigious construction of the new German research icebreaker “Polarstern” is progressing: Today, several supplier contracts of the TKMS shipyard for important propulsion components were made public.
Oliver Burkhard, CEO of the Kiel shipyard TKMS, told HANSA in June that progress had been made with the selection of individual components as part of the “tight schedule”. It has now been announced that contracts have been signed with the Finnish companies Wärtsilä, Steerprop and Aker Arctic for the entire propulsion unit – rudder propellers, engines and exhaust gas aftertreatment system. Many of the components are market firsts with which the Alfred Wegener Institute and TKMS are setting new standards in research shipping.
Shipyard boss Burkhard said: “By selecting the complex propulsion system for the new Polarstern, we are ensuring that we meet the high customer requirements for reliability, environmental protection and sustainability. With these contract signings, we have reached the first project milestone on time, underlining our position as a maritime powerhouse.”
“The bridge is the head of a ship, the engine its heart. For the new “Polarstern”, the heart is now taking shape,” said TKMS: The components ordered are “not off the shelf”. The innovative cutting-edge technology is intended to enable particularly low-noise and low-emission research at sea and in the polar regions.
The new “Polarstern”, financed by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), will be equipped with two azimuth thrusters, often referred to as rotating propeller nacelles, from the Finnish company Steerprop. The ship, built for ice class PC2, will be powered by two azimuth propellers called SP 160 PULL ARC LM, the largest mechanical units of their kind ever built, each delivering 9 MW of power via a 4.8 m diameter propeller. They are a further development of Steerprop’s mechanical propulsor platform, which is widely used in the global icebreaker fleet. The propeller nacelles can be rotated through 360 degrees and are designed to take over the maneuvering. The propulsion package is complemented by a “classic fixed center installation” from Finnish manufacturer Aker Arctic with a stainless steel propeller with a diameter of 5.4 meters.
Both types of propulsion receive their energy via four main engines from Wärtsilä, which generate 33.1 MW of diesel-electric power. Two of the engines will be dual-fuel capable: In addition to diesel, they can also burn green methanol. It is an integrated hybrid-electric drive system based on four powerful Wärtsilä W31 engines “combining maximum efficiency with state-of-the-art environmental technology”, according to the statement. The generator sets are low-noise and the exhaust gas aftertreatment technologies meet the highest emission standards. The newbuild will also be equipped with an energy storage system: a battery system will enable the ship to operate for up to four hours without running generators, making all research work emission-free.
“Polarstern” – the flagship of German marine
The new “Polarstern” is set to become the flagship of German marine, polar and climate research. Preparations for the new vessel have been underway for years. In December 2024, the then Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) announced that TKMS had been awarded the contract. The icebreaker will be almost 160 m long and 27 m wide and will have space for up to 60 researchers and 50 crew members. The icebreaking research and supply vessel will be built at the TKMS site in Wismar. She will come to Bremerhaven at a “relatively late stage” for final work. The AWI will be the owner of the ship, unlike the current “Polarstern”, which is owned by the federal government. Like the current “Polarstern”, the F. Laeisz shipping company will also manage the new ship. The current “Polarstern” was put into service in 1982. She has now covered around two million nautical miles on her voyages to the Arctic and Antarctic. The “Polarstern” was built by Nobiskrug from Rendsburg and the Kiel-based Howaldtswerke – Deutsche Werft (HDW). HDW is in turn a predecessor of TKMS – the shipbuilder operated until recently as ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and is to be transferred to “independence”.
The exhaust gases emitted during the voyage will be filtered on the new ship using state-of-the-art technology to ensure that as few particles as possible are released into the environment. The “Polarstern” newbuild is reportedly the first customer for exhaust gas filters of this size. The ship will also be fitted with a catalytic converter for exhaust gas aftertreatment. The propulsion system is also designed to meet the particularly stringent acoustic requirements of the “ICES 209” directive, which pays particular attention to the acoustic impact of shipping on the underwater world. This protects marine life from noise.
Maarten Boersma, Acting Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), said: “We are very pleased that with the order of the propulsion unit a first important step on the way to the new Polarstern has now been completed. I am particularly fascinated by the long-term coordination of all production stages. Even though it is scheduled to take until April 2027 before the ship’s first welded seams are produced, the construction of the innovative machines must of course start in parallel. It’s great that the new construction project and the collaboration between AWI, TKMS and the suppliers are going according to plan.”
