Stay up-to-date with the Arctic Research Vessel ” Mirai Ⅱ "

In 2021, the construction of Japan's first Arctic research vessel with icebreaking capabilities began.
The construction of this new Arctic Research Vessel by JAMSTEC, is the culmination of JAMSTEC’s efforts to investigate and find solutions to various issues and environmental changes occurring in the Arctic region.
Updates on these activities will be provided here and on our blog.

News

Feb 22, 2024

Other

Arctic Research Vessel to be named " Mirai Ⅱ " *Only available in Japanese

Feb 14, 2024

Other

Summary Reports of the Workshop are available

Nov 18, 2023

Other

Thank you! "International Workshop on Arctic Ocean Observation" workshop ended successfully

Nov 14, 2023

Other

"International Workshop on Arctic Ocean Observation" Abstracts are available now

Oct 31, 2023

Other

"International Workshop on Arctic Ocean Observation" registration closed on 31 October

News & Media

Arctic Research Vessel Construction Schedule

In October 2015, the government decided on the first comprehensive national policy on the Arctic, and the need for an Arctic research vessel was mentioned in the policy. Since then, JAMSTEC has conducted various evaluations and studies of the vessel in cooperation with related organizations in industry and academia and finally started construction in 2021.
Construction of the vessel is currently underway according to the following schedule, with completion scheduled for 2026.
*Schedule may be subject to change

Arctic Research Vessel Overview

Research Outline

• The Arctic Ocean is experiencing unprecedented environmental changes due to global warming. It is now recognized that these changes will affect ecosystems, human society, and their livelihoods. There is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the mechanisms behind these changes and incorporate these findings into predicting future environmental changes.　However, sea ice hampers our ability to collect the necessary data.
• Japan’s new research icebreaker will have the capability to fill this urgent need since it can operate in sea-ice-covered areas, thereby providing a new set of data. We will deploy this new research icebreaker as an international research platform, play a leading role in international projects, and contribute to the construction of their databases. We will promote international joint observational research focusing on the following research agendas: