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Tools & Technology: Icebreaker Oden

Oden

Oden is a 353-foot long Swedish icebreaking ship. On this 40-day expedition to the Gakkel Ridge, the science party will work from (and live aboard) the Swedish icebreaker Oden. At 108 meters long (353 feet), Oden is the largest of Sweden’s fleet of seven icebreakers. The ship’s unique hull design (it is shaped like a flat-bottomed skiff) allows it to break ice not by smashing into it, but rather by riding up onto the floe and using the ship’s weight to crack it. Oden can maintain 3 knots of speed while breaking 1.9 meter (6 foot) thick ice. A crew of 15 staffs the ship. The Oden has its own helicopter, which is used to scout the ice ahead, ferry passengers, and conduct science missions. In addition to scientific research missions, the ship also is used to escort vessels through ice and to resupply Antarctic bases.

 

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