Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Helsinki, 29.5. – 8.6.2023
Finland is hosting this year’s Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and the Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection. Aker Arctic has been invited to join the panel discussion on June 5th.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by the twelve countries whose scientists had been active in and around Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957–58. It entered into force in 1961 and has since been acceded to by a total number of 55 nations.
Specially invited experts
The yearly meeting is attended by the representatives of both Consultative and Non-consultative Parties, observers from scientific committees and many other experts who are specially invited to the meeting, representing both intergovernmental organizations and civil society.
This year, Aker Arctic has been invited. With our vast experience in all kinds of demanding ice-going vessels, we are experts in vessels for commercial, support and research use.
Aker Arctic has designed the majority of the world’s icebreakers. Our success stems from our long experience, skilled designers, R&D activities, local ice model testing and our extensive database with ice measurements and data of full-scale vessel performances in ice.
Actively advancing the Polar Code
We have also been active in advancing the IMO Polar Code, adopted in 2014. The Polar Code was the first mandatory legislation for ships addressing potential hazards unique to the Arctic and Antarctic environment. It provided goals and functional requirements related to ship design, construction, equipment, operations, training as well as search and rescue.
“We saw the Polar Code as an important tool to advance the protection of the polar areas and provide safety to the researchers who transit and work in the extremely demanding conditions,” says Managing Director Reko Suojanen.
Antarctic vessels are required to act as cargo-carrying vessels, people carrying vessels and ocean research platforms. Aker Arctic has designed many highly advanced research and logistic vessels, which have successfully been employed in missions to and from Antarctica. Find out more about our latest designs and projects below.
Antarctic logistics vessel for Argentina. Concept and basic design by Aker Arctic. Once ready, the ship will transport supplies and personnel between Ushuaia, the southernmost city on the South American continent, and Argentina’s thirteen Antarctic stations.
L’Astrolabe. The French polar logistics vessel was delivered in 2017 and has been successfully deployed in missions to and from Antarctica since then. Aker Arctic provided the basic design, performed ice model tests and supported the shipyard throughout the construction.
Xue Long 2. The polar research icebreaker for China was delivered in 2019 and tested in full-scale the same year on her maiden trip to Antarctica. Aker Arctic provided the concept and basic design, ice model tests, support during construction as well as the full-scale tests.
The ice trials were conducted by the team of Aker Arctic:
RRS Sir David Attenborough. Ice trials in Antarctica and calibration of the ice load monitoring system onboard the new British research vessel in 2022.
Agulhas II. Ice trials (page 9) onboard the South African icebreaking polar research and supply vessel, which was built in Finland and delivered in 2012.