A joint research icebreaker project was launched in January 2018, aiming at providing Europe with better capacities for marine-based research in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Research Icebreaker (ARICE) Consortium is financed by the EU Horizon 2020 RIA Research and Innovation action on the topic “Integrating Activities for Starting Communities”.
ARICE namely aims at better coordinating the existing polar research fleet, by offering transnational access through a “call for ship-time proposals” to a set of six international High Arctic research icebreakers and by collaborating with maritime industry in a “programme of ships and platforms of opportunity”.
ARICE joins the efforts of 14 partners from 12 different countries: Germany, Sweden, UK, Norway, Iceland, France, Italy, Poland, Finland, Denmark, Canada and the US.
The ARICE Project will enable scientists to collect more data in the Arctic by:
- Coordinating improved use of existing polar research vessels, and
- Working through the WOC to engage commercial vessels operating in the Arctic to collect oceanic and atmospheric data.
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Paul Holthus, CEO of the World Ocean Council, that is the Lead Partner, attended the kickoff meeting of ARICE in Bremerhaven on 6-7 February 2018, along with Arctic research representatives from European and North American countries. He said:
We will advance research community collaboration with the industry in Arctic research and the use of ‘ships of opportunity’. WOC will work with companies from shipping, fishing, oil and gas, tourism and other sectors to host or deploy instruments, host scientists, or share data from previous studies, which is the mission of our ‘Smart Ocean-Smart Industries’ program.
The ARICE Project was launched in January 2018 and will run for 4 years.
