Argentina is evaluating the acquisition of a polar ship in the short term to reinforce its presence and operations in Antarctica in the face of the delay in the development of the Argentine polar ship and the growing need for the Antarctic program.
Joint Antarctic Commander Brigadier General Edgar Calandinand the Commander of Training and Enlistment of the Argentina Armyrear admiral Juan Carlos Corethey are analyzing the market to find a quick solution.
The lack of a polar ship has affected the work carried out in the Petrel Base. Currently, the Argentina Army has the ARA Almirante Irizar, but an additional vessel is needed to operate continuously and in multiple locations at the same time. “We have to be creative with the few economic means we have to be able to continue advancing as we want,” said Calandin, referring to the need to optimize resources in this context.
Argentine polar ship project
The project for a new Argentine polar vessel began in 2014 with the acquisition of a concept from the shipyard Aker Arctic. However, the construction process has progressed slowly. In 2020, the Argentine Government began the construction process under the supervision and advice of Finnish engineers. However, there have been significant delays in the development of the project.
In 2021, the Argentine Government approved the direct contracting of the shipyard Tandanor for the construction of the polar ship for the Argentine Navy through administrative decision 1269/2021.
In February 2022, Tandanor signed a contract with Aker for the development of basic engineering and capabilities to then generate detailed engineering locally. In May of that same year, the former Minister of Defense, Jorge Taianareceived the ambassador of Finland, Kirsi Vanamo-Santa Cruz, to analyze the progress of that process. While in December the Secretariat of Research, Industrial Policy and Production for Defense, the Secretariat of Industry and Productive Development, Tandanor and the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI) They formed a table to generate a network of suppliers to accompany the development and construction process of the aforementioned ship.
Aker’s polar ship concept. Signature: Aker
The following year, the former secretary of International Affairs for the Defense of Argentina, Francisco Cafierotogether with the former Chief of Staff, Hector Mazzeireceived the Finnish permanent secretary of Defense, Lieutenant General, in the Libertador Building That Pulkkinenvwith the aim of advancing the construction process.
During the meeting, general aspects related to the organization of personnel and the project were discussed. Likewise, technical aspects were defined such as the precision of the concept design and specifications, hull format, propulsion systems and general principles to apply, guidelines for the development of basic engineering, the choice of equipment, interaction with manufacturers, management documentation and quality system.
It is estimated that the so-called ARC 133 It will cost approximately $200 million and its construction could take between four and six years. Once completed, it will be used to transport equipment and researchers to the Antarctic bases of Argentina, as well as for research purposes.
