A research-based icebreaker, the RV Polarstern was first commissioned in 1982 and has been underway in the Arctic and Antarctic for 40 years now, giving experts from around the globe the opportunity to safely and effectively conduct research in two of the most extreme regions on our planet. Primarily used by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, she has a double-hull design and a length of 387 feet (118 meters).
The RV Polarstern is powered by four engines, each producing 20,000 HP and enabling the ship to reach 16 knots in open water. She can operate in temperatures as low as -58 degrees Fahrenheit (-50 degrees Celsius) and is capable of breaking through 5-foot (1.5 meters) thick ice.
