As an icebreaking research and resupply vessel, the Polarstern is the central pillar of German polar research. Since being commissioned in 1982, the flagship of polar and marine research in the Federal Republic of Germany has travelled nearly two million nautical miles – the equivalent of circling the Equator nearly 90 times. Thanks to a general overhaul from 1999 to 2001, even after 40-plus years of service, the Polarstern is still one of the highest-performance research vessels in the world. Yet at some point, even such an exceptional ship as the Polarstern should be able to enter her well-deserved retirement. A new research icebreaker will succeed her. But how do you initiate this type of project? And what do you need to include on an icebreaking research and resupply vessel? What modern technologies and tried-and-true details are an absolute must? Building such a complex icebreaker can only succeed when you have a diverse team working hand in hand: when polar and marine researchers, experts on engineering and construction, the shipyard, crew, and project team – not to mention political decision-makers – work together to find the best solutions.
At the AWI, a roughly 20-member team was assembled for the project, including representatives of a broad range of disciplines: from sustainability, underwater robotics and sea-ice physics, to IT and shipbuilding, to project management. Together with external experts, the AWI team defined the requirements for the new ship. The result: an extensive specification of services, together with various documents for the call for tenders – roughly 7,000 pages in total. By doing so, they created the basis for a Europe-wide call for tenders. This was followed by several rounds of tender submissions, all of which were assessed in the form of a confidential and complex competition. With the award of contract on 19.12.2024, the project passed a first, crucial milestone; after all, now it can begin in earnest.
Let the building begin!

thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is one of the world’s leading companies in the marine industry with around 8,000 employees at three shipyards in Kiel, Wismar and Itajaí (Brazil) as well as at locations worldwide. The company is a system supplier for submarines and naval surface vessels as well as for maritime electronics and safety technology. Around 3,300 employees work in Kiel, the largest shipyard location in Germany. 185 years of history and constant striving for improvement mean that the company is constantly setting new standards. thyssenkrupp Marine Systems offers its customers worldwide customised solutions for highly complex challenges in a changing world. The driving forces behind this are the company’s employees, who shape the future of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems with passion and commitment every day. The decision to build the new Polarstern will help to further strengthen Germany as a shipyard location in the civil sector. For the shipyard in Wismar, the decision is an important signal for the future: Around 1,500 jobs could be created in the underwater and surface areas if the shipyard is fully utilised.