m/v Le Boreal

Overall length: 466 feet
Beam: 59 feet
Draft: 15.3 feet
Average speed: 16 knots
Ice class: 1C
Passenger decks: 6
Passenger capacity: Limited to 199 on
Antarctica cruises
Crew: 136
Gross tonnage: 10.700 GRT
Electric Motors: 2 x 2,3 MW
Standards: USPHS – U.S. Coast Guards Rules
Comfort Class 1 – “Clean” Ship Certification
Flag: French


The Le Boreal is the newest ship sailing to Antarctica - launched in May, 2010. 'Le Boreal' features elegant design and innovative state-of-the-art marine technology. The vessel boasts a convenient and sensible layout, aided by three passenger elevators. She offers a single seating dining room, al fresco dining, an outdoor heated pool, and a modern lecture facility and theater, as well as an ample and comfortable gathering area and library. A full-service salon, steam rooms, spa and fitness center complete the amenities.

 Exceptionally Spacious Accommodations The large Staterooms and Suites range in size from 200 to 398 square feet. 95% of the ship’s accommodations feature private balconies.

 Exclusive Deluxe (Luxury) Suite and Stateroom Amenities All Suites and the majority of the Staterooms feature two twin beds which can be converted into one queen-size bed, a private bathroom with shower (some with bathtub), international direct dial telephone, satellite flat screen television, DVD/CD, iPod dock with speakers, wireless Internet access, safe, minibar, full-length closets, writing desk/dressing table, hair dryer, duvet and plush terry cloth robes.

 Exceptional Dining Experience/Flexible Dining Options International and local cuisine is served in the stylish, spacious Dining Room in a single, unassigned seating; alfresco in the casual indoor-outdoor Grill Restaurant on Deck 6, available at select times; or from 24-hour Room Service.

 Continental breakfast, buffet breakfast, buffet lunch, afternoon tea, a three-course dinner and a late-evening snack are served daily. Complimentary wine and beer are served at lunch and dinner. Additionally, bar service is available on the Sun Deck. Exceptional and Spacious Public Areas Public areas have been designed to accommodate passenger numbers exceeding the ship’s capacity to ensure guests can enjoy an inviting, spacious ambiance.

The attractive 3,000-square-foot Le Club lounge, where nightly entertainment is showcased, is complete with a dance floor, while the Panoramic Lounge is designed to offer breathtaking views. The state-of-the-art theatre is the perfect venue for lectures, cultural performances and film screenings. There is a library, casino, Internet salon offering Internet access and computer stations for personal use, beauty salon, elevator and infirmary.

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m/v Polarcus Amani

Length: 92 m

Breadth: 22 m
Gross Tonnage: 7894

DeadWeight: 4350 t
Speed recorded (Max/Average): 14.9/10.3 knots
Flag: Bahamas
IMO: 9610171

ULSTEIN delivered the next generation seismic research vessel Polarcus Amani to marine geophysical company Polarcus on 29 March 2012. The vessel is of the SX134 design from ULSTEIN, and is vessel number seven in Polarcus’ fleet of some of the most modern and advanced seismic vessels in the world; all with the X-BOW® hull line design.

Polarcus Amani is the first Polarcus vessel built by ULSTEIN’s own shipyard in Norway. She is soon to be followed by her sister vessel, yard number 293, due for delivery at the end of Q2.

Arctic Approach
Polarcus Amani is an arctic-ready vessel designed and built for operations in arctic waters. She carries the ICE-1A* and Winterized Basic notations from DNV, and can operate in first-year ice of up to 1 metre thickness without the assistance of icebreakers. The entire vessel is ice-reinforced with thicker ribs and skin plates. She has de-icing and ice-preventing systems at critical tanks and pipelines, and propellers, gears and thrusters are dimensioned for withstanding operations in ice. Escape corridors and rescue equipment are also protected against icing during arctic operations. Although 3D seismic acquisition will only take place in ice-free, or possibly bergy water conditions, the arctic qualities of the vessel enables it to move through ice on her way to and from the survey area, or remain in icy areas waiting for the ice to clear, increasing the operational window of the vessel.

Environmental effortsMinimising environmental impact is central to Polarcus’ business philosophy and a focus area in all the company’s activities. This is particularly important when operating in fragile areas such as the arctic. A number of environmental initiatives have been taken when designing and building the Polarcus Amani.

“We take every precaution to prevent or minimise our environmental footprint,” says Peter Zickerman, Executive Vice President of Polarcus, and continues: “The vessel’s double hull and its advanced bilge water cleaning system and ballast water treatment system reduce emissions to water down to a minimum. The vessel, like the other vessels in our fleet, runs on marine gas oil (MGO) with low sulphur content and has high specification exhaust catalysts, which clean the exhaust before it is emitted to air. Polarcus Amani is also equipped with a diesel electric propulsion system. The vessel’s X-BOW hull line design is another of its many green features, in that it reduces fuel consumption and therefore emissions to air. This is one of the reasons why we only have X-BOWs in our fleet.”

Polarcus Amani carries the Clean Design notation from DNV.

Bad weather vessel
The hydrodynamic efficiency of the X-BOW, which leads to reduced emissions and more cost-effective operations, is not its only benefit. With its superior sea-keeping abilities, it also provides a safe and comfortable workplace for the crew both during transit and seismic surveys. This is particularly the case in heavy sea. The X-BOW eliminates slamming and hence increases the well-being of those on board.

“The X-BOW’s gliding movements and the absence of slamming allows us to relax and sleep uninterruptedly – a definite benefit for the people on board, says a chief officer in Polarcus, who has plenty of experience with the tiring effect slamming has on the body from his time on board vessels with a conventional bow.

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The biggest solar energy boat

Name: Tûranor PlanetSolar

Owner: PlanetSolar SA

Builder: Knierim Yachtbau, Kiel, Germany

Cost: €12.5 million

Launched: 31 March 2010

Class and type: Yacht

Displacement: 85 metric tons

Length: 31 m (35 m with flaps)

Beam: 15 m (23m with flaps)

Propulsion: 2 Permanent Magnet Synchronous Electrical Motors - 60kW each (max) @ 1600 rpm

2 Permanent Magnet Synchronous Electrical Motors - 10kW each (max) @ 1000 rpm

Speed: max.: 14 knots (26 km/h)

cruising (est.): 7.5 knots (14 km/h)

Crew: 4

Tûranor PlanetSolar, also known under the project name PlanetSolar, is an entirely solar powered boat that was launched on 31 March 2010. It was built by Knierim Yachtbau in Kiel, Germany, and was designed by LOMOcean Design, formerly known as Craig Loomes Design Group Ltd.. It is the largest solar-powered boat in the world.

Similarly to Earthrace, another boat designed by LOMOcean Design, Tûranor PlanetSolar is planning to set a round-the-worldrecord that will promote the use of sustainable energy. Instead of using Bio Diesel like Earthrace, Tûranor PlanetSolar plans to exclusively use solar power. In doing so, Tûranor PlanetSolar will become the first ever boat to circumnavigate the world using solar power alone. In order to fulfill this challenge, the boat is covered in over 500 square meters of solar panels rated 93 kW, which in turn connect to one of the two electric motors in each hull. Although its hull is capable of hosting 200 persons, the shape of the boat means that it will be able to reach speeds of up to fourteen knots. The boat's hull has been model tested inwind tunnels and has been tank tested to determine the hydrodynamics and aerodynamics of the hull. This 31 meter long boat has been designed to be used as a luxury yacht after the record attempt is finished.

On 27 September 2010 Tûranor PlanetSolar started on a journey around the world in Monaco. With this expedition, the iniatiors of the project would like to focus the public awareness on the importance of renewable energies for environmental protection. The crew of six will circumnavigate the globe solely with the aid of solar power. Captain of the expedition is Frenchman Patrick Marchesseau. Other participants are Christian Ochsenbein (Bern, Switzerland) and Jens Langwasser (Kiel, Germany); as well as project initiator Raphael Domjan (Yverdon-les Bain, Switzerland). On the first leg across the Atlantic Ocean technician Daniel Stahl (Kiel, Germany) and first mate Mikaela von Koskull (Finland) were part of the crew. On 27 November 2010 the solar boat reached Miami. A significant stopover was Cancún, during the United Nations World Climate Conference.

At the centerline of the world tour, the French Canadian Captain Erwann Le Rouzic took over in New Caledonia mid may 2011, for the further circumnavigation sharing the master's responsibility with Captain Patrick Marchesseau.

End of May 2011, the world's largest solar boat docked at Brisbane, where in an official ceremony the "PlanetSolar Relay for Hope" was launched, a global relay children and young people can take part in and present their visions and hopes for a solar energy driven world through essays, qIkY0KVkSsqOSt_97xPA77kGjAW-xkaw5rNs-bhmuDz41cGXjcRrdH8V-n7nszQVZ0c24BNftY_pzgOLright: 1em; text-align: justify;">

On the first solar boat expedition around the globe, the TÛRANOR PlanetSolar has already reached two records: fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by solar boat and longest distance ever covered by a solar electric vehicle.

The current routing around the globe (subject to favourable weather and nautical conditions) foresees stopovers in several port cities to inform the public about the importance of sustainable and renewable energies.

The boat is registered in Switzerland and was financed by a German entrepreneur. Construction cost was € 12.5 million. The name Tûranor, derived from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, translates to "The Power of the Sun".

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