Icebreaker Tour Guide

Welcome aboard! We are delighted to have you on the Polar Explorer icebreaker and invite you to explore its unique 7 decks with us through this audio guide. We will take you all the way from the engine room up to the Captain's bridge. During this journey, you will learn and experience how an icebreaker operates and navigates while crossing the ice-covered waters of the Arctic and Antarctic.

An icebreaker is a unique vessel. Unlike regular ships, it features a specially reinforced hull designed to withstand the immense pressure of the ice. Shaped much like an axe, the ship can cut a navigable channel through frozen waters. Additionally, its powerful propulsion system allows it to push aside floating ice.

Built in Germany in 1976, the Polar Explorer is classified as an ice-class anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel. This ship was once responsible for towing large barges back and forth between Norway and Brazil. It was also used to anchor oil rigs in the Arctic Ocean and transport supplies, such as water and food, to the crews working on those rigs.

The Polar Explorer is 78 meters long, 14 meters wide, and 22 meters high, featuring 7 decks. It requires a water depth of at least 5 meters to navigate.

When we park out on the sea, the water depth will be about 10 to 15 meters. This is when you will have the opportunity to put on a survival suit and go for a swim.

As soon as our icebreaker leaves the pier, you will be able to see exactly how it breaks the ice as it sails.

Your tour is about to begin. Please head to the information point on the main deck - Icebreaker Tour Info Station 1.

Our tour covers 7 information stations in total. You will see signs for all of them throughout the ship. You do not need to visit the stations in numerical order; you can visit them in whatever sequence you prefer while on board. Simply walk to the station you wish to learn about, select it in the app, and listen to the explanation.

You are free to explore anywhere on the icebreaker, except for areas marked "Crew Only."

During this voyage, we will have a stop of approximately 1 hour. During this time, you can put on a survival suit and experience what it feels like to swim in freezing seawater. It is absolutely safe, and even if you do not know how to swim, you can still get into the water. To avoid crowding, please make sure you confirmed your swimming time when you checked in. You can also verify your time with the staff at the information desk at any point.

Info Station 1, "Main Deck," is located right next to the information desk. We recommend starting your audio tour from here.

You are now on the main deck of the Polar Explorer - at the rear of the icebreaker. This is Deck 3, which you use to enter and exit the ship, and it is also the largest and main deck.

You can see the large winches and steel wires used for handling anchors and pulling stuck vessels. These cables are up to 2000 meters long.

This deck was also used to store water, food, and other necessities that needed to be transported to Arctic oil rigs. It has an area of 350 square meters and can accommodate 6 buses or about 30 cars.

Swimming activities will start from the main deck. You can also walk outside on the ice cap when the ship is completely parked. For your safety, please follow the crew's instructions. They will confirm if the ice is thick enough for you to walk on.

Please continue your tour. You can enter the door on the right to reach Info Station 4 - Engine Room. You can also take the stairs on the left to go to Info Station 3 - Cafeteria or Info Station 2 - Front Deck. Please walk carefully, as the decks and stairs can be slippery.

You are now on the front deck of the Polar Explorer - the front part of the icebreaker. This is Deck 5. As the decks and stairs may be slippery, please walk carefully.

This is the best observation point. On a clear day, you can see for kilometers. Both sides of this deck offer great views of the icebreaking in action. If you want to look over the railing, please use the stairs. The best view is from the sides, rather than the middle.

How does the icebreaker break the ice? This specially crafted 45-degree bow and 2 icebreaking knives can crush ice blocks up to 2 meters thick and push them down and away. When the ice is broken, it makes a massive sound!

There is also a bow thruster at the front of the ship, allowing the hull to move sideways. In the middle of the ship, an azimuth thruster enables the vessel to sail in any direction. This means the ship is capable of highly precise navigational maneuvers.

Two giant anchors are secured on both sides of the bow. Each anchor weighs 2100 kilograms. A third anchor, which is the spare, is located at the back of the main deck.

‍To continue the tour, please return to the doorway and use the stairs up to Info Station 7 – Captain's Bridge; or take the stairs down to Info Station 3 – Cafeteria. Please walk carefully, as the decks and stairs can be slippery.

A ship's kitchen is called a Galley. The Polar Explorer's original galley is now the cafeteria.

There are many different roles on a ship, and one of the most important, yet often overlooked, is the chef. Deckhands are sailors who perform manual labor, such as cleaning and serving meals to passengers, but the responsibility of cooking these meals falls on the ship's chef.

Cooking on a ship is not as simple as cooking on land. There are several major differences: whatever ingredients are on the ship are all you have, as there is no resupply out at sea. Furthermore, kitchen space is limited, the chef must cook from scratch, the ship is constantly rocking, there is a limited supply of fresh water and kitchen equipment, and you are cooking for the exact same "diners" multiple times every single day.

Despite this, the ship is equipped with a watermaker capable of producing up to 5 cubic meters of fresh water per day. This is a crucial piece of equipment for long voyages.

It is worth mentioning that a ship chef's salary is very attractive, which is a major perk of the job. In addition, the job offers high exposure. Not only do they get to travel the world, but they also get to experience a variety of international cuisines and delicacies.

There are lounge areas on two decks. The kitchen is located on Deck 4 - above the main deck and below the front deck. Another lounge area is downstairs on Deck 3, on the same level as the main deck.

On Deck 3, you will find a room that was once used as the ship's hospital, but is now used as an information desk and the icebreaker's souvenir shop. Because crews spend months at sea, all ships must have an isolation area to prevent sick crew members from spreading disease. In the past, this hospital room had 2 hospital beds and cabinets full of medicines and first-aid supplies.

Doctors are not always present at sea, so the ship's personnel are all trained in rescue and first aid.

The lounge area near the hospital used to be a living quarters. This living area once had 7 air-conditioned cabins. Each cabin had its own toilet, shower, and a bed. Today, you can still see 2 preserved cabins. These were used by crew members who stayed on the Polar Explorer for long periods. The other cabins have been removed to create a more spacious activity area for tourist passengers. There are also 6 double cabins on the upper deck for the crew.

To continue the tour, please go through the main deck to Info Station 4 – Engine Room, or take the stairs to Info Station 2 – Front Deck. Please walk carefully, as the decks and stairs can be slippery.

Please listen to this explanation before entering the noisy engine room. Once you have finished listening, please put on your earplugs before going inside. You can find earplugs before walking down the stairs. Please remember to return the earplugs after leaving the engine room.

After passing through the narrow corridor, on your left, you will see 8 green cylinders - this is one of the ship's two main engines, manufactured by the German company MaK. The part you see is the top of the engine. The top of the engine has an open hood showing the pistons operating inside. The engine is like an iceberg - you can only see the top. If you look down below, you will see that the engine body is about 4 meters high, 10 meters long, and 2 meters wide.

These 8 cylinders alone provide about 4,730 horsepower. Besides this engine, there is an identical one on the other side of the room. Together, these two engines increase the icebreaker's power to 9,460 horsepower. Additionally, another 365-degree thruster with 1,000 horsepower can provide extra power to the engine shaft when necessary. While sailing at sea, this thruster is usually in standby mode. If all power is engaged, the ship can achieve up to 10,460 horsepower. This is equivalent to the power of 77 Toyota Corollas or 21,000 Olympic rowers.

Such engine power can be used not only to cut navigable channels through the ice but also to tow cargo, ships, or oil rigs.

The icebreaker runs on diesel fuel. It consumes 500 liters per hour. The total fuel capacity is 984 cubic meters – that is nearly 1,000 tons of fuel. We are currently moving at a speed of 7 to 9 knots. Navigating at this speed through ice over 1 meter thick, the icebreaker consumes 500 liters of diesel per hour. Imagine this: the Polar Explorer can sail continuously for 1,968 hours. That is 82 days of non-stop sailing and icebreaking! A massive fuel capacity is essential for ships undertaking long icebreaking voyages, as there is nowhere to refuel out at sea.

The ship has two diesel generators and one shaft generator that provide electricity for the entire vessel. They are located behind each engine.

The white pipes you see in the middle are the engine's cooling system. This cooling system is similar to a car's, except the ship uses seawater. The ship also uses a similar system to produce fresh water for daily use.

At the other end of the room is the workshop for the engine room staff. The room is equipped with various tools used to repair or manufacture parts while at sea.

In the middle of the engine room, you can see a door with a glass window. That is the control room. Please proceed through that door to continue your tour.

You are now in the control room. This is where the Chief Engineer monitors the sensors and analyzes the engine's condition. The control room also houses very important operational equipment. The maritime Chief Engineer is one of the most critical crew members on the icebreaker. Their job is to oversee the entire engineering department on board. They are responsible for the maintenance and operation of all engineering equipment. In addition to the Chief Engineer, there are 3 engineering crew members on the ship.

The control room features various sensors used to control and maintain the operation of all equipment. The simplest sensors include fuel level indicators and overheating controllers. The most complex sensors belong to a monitoring system that displays critical faults requiring the engineer's immediate attention.

The ship uses a modernized alarm system. All equipment can operate automatically. Therefore, the control room can go for 12 continuous hours without needing staff to monitor or watch over it.

Please exit the control room and follow the signs to the next info station – Icebreaker Theater.

Welcome to the Icebreaker Theater. This auditorium-style room served a different purpose during the Polar Explorer's industrial era. Back then, it housed four giant cement tanks, each capable of storing 50 cubic meters of cement. The oil industry required a lot of cement. When oil was discovered on the Arctic Ocean floor, oil rigs would drill deep holes to extract it. These holes were the channels for the oil to flow out, so they had to be kept open at all times. Therefore, the walls of these channels had to be reinforced with cement. The Polar Explorer's mission at that time was to transport cement to oil extraction sites in the Arctic waters.

Icebreakers all over the world perform a variety of different tasks. Some solely break ice and create navigable channels for other ships in frozen seas. Others, like the Polar Explorer, are multi-purpose icebreakers. Depending on their function, the construction and appearance of each ship can vary greatly. An icebreaker's main secret is hidden below the water surface: its strong hull and a bow structure capable of crushing ice. The sides of the hull are designed in a special way so that if the ship gets stuck, the ice won't crush against the hull. This specialized construction is what makes this vessel an icebreaker and earns it its "ice-class" designation.

Next, please enjoy this 10-minute video, where we will introduce you to different icebreakers from around the world.

After watching the video, please return to the main deck and choose the direction to your next info station. Please remember to return the earplugs you used when leaving the engine room area.

Welcome to the Captain's Bridge. This is the eyes of the icebreaker. You are now standing 14 meters above sea level. The panoramic windows give you a clear view of the front and rear decks, as well as the surrounding ocean.

Why is this place called a "bridge" when it doesn't look like one? Traditionally, sailing ships were commanded from the aft deck. Later, with the advent of paddle steamers, engineers built a special platform so the captain could monitor the paddle wheels from there. This way, the captain's view wouldn't be blocked by the paddle houses. An elevated walkway connected the paddle houses, looking very much like a bridge—which is where the name "Captain's Bridge" comes from. When propellers replaced paddles, the bridge was no longer an actual bridge, but the traditional name was retained.

The Captain's Bridge is the room where commands are issued to the entire ship. When the ship is sailing, there will be an officer on watch on the bridge, assisted by an able seaman. When something important occurs, the Captain comes to the bridge, assisted by the Chief Officer. Sometimes, a pilot may also accompany them.

To maneuver a large vessel on frozen seas, we require the assistance of various high-end equipment and systems. That is why you can see a gyrocompass, dual radars, navigation systems, an autopilot, electronic charts, and various communication devices here.

This ship has two steering consoles. One is at the front of the bridge for forward navigation. The other is at the rear to facilitate port docking and anchor handling. In the past, it was also used while supplying cargo to oil rigs.

Before entering another country's territorial waters, a ship must first contact the local port and hoist that country's flag. This is why, at the back of the room on the left, you will see the different national flags this ship has flown while sailing to various countries.