French research non-profit Tara Ocean Foundation has inaugurated a new floating polar research station for deployment in the Arctic Ocean.
Designed by Tara Ocean in collaboration with French architect Oliver Petit and engineering firm Mauric, Tara Polar Station has a length of 26 metres, a beam of 16 metres, a draught of 2.3 metres, a full load displacement of 416 tonnes, and accommodation for up to 18 people within a 400-square-metre living space.
The station was built to withstand extreme ice pressures as well as temperatures as low as –52 degrees Celsius, thanks to a reinforced, ice-resistant aluminium hull that satisfies Bureau Veritas' Ice Class 1A Super requirements.
Tara Ocean intends to have the research station embark scientists from all over the world on multiple successive "drifts" lasting 18 months each from its initial deployment in 2025 until 2045.
The station also features a moonpool with a diameter of 1.6 metres. The moonpool is connected to a wet laboratory allowing direct access to the ocean beneath the ice, enabling the deployment of divers and scientific equipment.
The station was designed to limit all discharges and reduce environmental impact. Notable features include solar panels, a wind turbine, biodiesel-powered generators, a heat recovery network for heating and hot water production, and fluid treatment systems to ensure there are no discharges into the marine environment.
A lithium battery pack also enables the storage of energy from decarbonised electrical production sources.
The station will be beached on ice, with limited access to seawater, and potential icing of all external components or those opening to the outside. Numerous studies were conducted by Mauric's technical teams to ensure the proper functioning and redundancy of the station's systems in all conditions encountered during polar winters.