South Korea breaks ground on second icebreaker research vessel for deeper Arctic access

South Korea is moving forward with the construction of its second icebreaker research vessel. Its ice-breaking capacity will be roughly 50 percent greater than that of its existing ship, the Araon.

The upgrade will allow researchers to reach high-latitude Arctic waters that have long been difficult to access. With the new vessel dedicated to the Arctic and the Araon focused on Antarctica, the country's combined polar research voyage days are expected to more than triple. They would rise from about 85 days a year currently to about 270 days.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said a ground-breaking ceremony for the next-generation icebreaker research vessel will be held Friday at Hanwha Ocean's shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. About 40 people are expected to attend, including officials from the ministry, the Korea Polar Research Institute, the Korean Register (KR) and Hanwha Ocean.

The new vessel will be South Korea's second icebreaker research ship, following the Araon, which entered service in 2009. The Araon has had to travel between the Arctic and Antarctic, leaving limited time for actual field research. It has also faced constraints in reaching Arctic waters above 80 degrees north latitude.

The ministry and Hanwha Ocean signed a construction contract for the next-generation vessel in July last year, and have since worked through design and equipment procurement.

The new ship's ice-breaking capacity will be about 50 percent higher than the Araon's. It will be used to survey sea ice conditions needed for safe navigation along Arctic shipping routes, as well as to conduct research on Arctic fish stocks and seafloor geology, among other topics.

The vessel is also designed to improve environmental performance and make better use of research space. It will run on a dual-fuel system that can use both LNG and low-sulfur oil to cut carbon emissions, and it will carry modular research facilities that can be attached or detached as needed.

Construction of the next-generation icebreaker research vessel is aimed at completion by 2029. It will then undergo sea trials before entering official service in 2030 for Arctic research missions.

Once the new vessel takes over Arctic research duties, the Araon will be able to concentrate on Antarctic research. As a result, the two ships' combined polar research voyage days are expected to expand more than threefold, from about 85 days a year currently to about 270 days.

"Building the next-generation icebreaker research vessel is an important first step toward accumulating scientific research data ahead of the coming Arctic shipping route era and toward becoming a leading polar research nation," said Seo Jung-ho, director general for ocean policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. "We will continue to provide all necessary support to ensure the construction project proceeds without a hitch."