Page 42: of Marine Technology Magazine (January 2023)

Tech Files

Innovative products, technologies and concepts

Polar POD Project enters Construction Phase in France

Ifremer, Jean-Louis Etienne and the entire Polar POD team announced its construction by the Piriou shipyards in association with 3C Metal, under the direction of the project owner, Ifremer.

The scienti? c program of this interna- tional oceanographic “station” is being overseen by the French National Center for Scienti? c Research (Centre national de la recherche scienti? que, CNRS), in partnership with the French National

Centre for Space Studies (Centre Na- tional d’Etudes Spatiales, CNES) and

Ifremer.

What is the Polar Pod?

A cross between an oceanographic platform and a drifting lighthouse, Polar

POD is designed to face the “furious ? f- ties” and the highest waves on the plan-

Illustration Polar POD © N. Gagnon et. It will sail for three consecutive years with no planned return to land, which • Recording marine biodiversity by shipyards for the construction of the will require equipment that is easy to acoustics, from krill to whales. main deck in Brittany, France, and 3C use, robust and tested. Environmentally • Calibration of measurements Metal for the construction of the truss, sustainable, the platform will produce all made by satellites: weather conditions, the torus, the bottom box and ? nal as- the energy it needs using wind turbines, sea states, ocean color, measurement of sembly in Cape Town, South Africa.

which will require very strict manage- phytoplankton for spatial monitoring of “Polar POD is certainly the most am- ment of the vessel’s energy expenditure. biological activity. bitious expedition that I have worked on

The construction process started on • Assessment of current pollution of since 2010, and I am not afraid to say

September 1, 2022, and will continue the ocean: microplastics, organic pol- that it is my masterpiece,” said Jean- for a period of 2 years. Several sea tri- lutants, heavy metals and aerosols. Louis Etienne. “Therefore, the launch of als off the coast of South Africa will be the construction process of this “vertical required before the scheduled departure In the works since 2016 when Ifre- ship” is a great moment in my life as a of the expedition from Port Elizabeth in mer was appointed as the authority in polar explorer; it is the fruit of persever-

South Africa in the last quarter of 2024. charge of the construction of the Polar ance, nourished by the enthusiasm of

POD, the last six years have been spend the scienti? c community and the naval

What are the Scienti? c Objectives? completing the preliminary design stud- engineering of? ce Ship-ST who have

Little is known about the Antarctic ies with the French marine engineering accompanied me on this bold project.

Ocean due to its size, proximity and ? rm, Ship-ST, to verify the technical To dare is to engage your imagination harsh living conditions. Driven by the and operational feasibility to public in- beyond certainties.”

Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), vestors. Time was also required to de- The construction of the Polar POD the Polar POD will circumnavigate the velop a scienti? c program under the has received funding from the French

Antarctic Circle twice, making it three leadership of the CNRS, clearly de? ne government under the management of years of an uninterrupted campaign with the speci? cations of the instrumentation the National Research Agency (Agence the following main objectives: to be integrated on the Polar POD, start Nationale de la Recherche) under the fu- • Continuous measurement of at- the bidding process for potential ship- ture investment program integrated into mosphere/ocean exchanges, in particu- yards and to seek funding. France 2030, an investment plan which lar the CO2 absorption capacity of the On August 5, 2022, the Piriou/3C focuses on sectors of France’s industrial planet’s main ocean carbon sink. Metal joint venture was selected: Piriou future by the year 2030).

42 January/February 2023

MTR #1 (34-47).indd 42 1/23/2023 3:20:45 PM