Alaska-Based Research Vessel to Support U.S. Antarctic Expedition in 2026

The U.S. research vessel Sikuliaq has begun a long voyage to the Antarctica, achieving a new milestone in its decade-long polar expeditions. The Alaska-based vessel is owned by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

This is the first time for the vessel to undertake an Antarctic expedition, as it is largely used in waters around Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Starting early next year, the 261-foot vessel will support three research projects in the Southern Ocean, which were previously scheduled for vessels whose contracts with NSF have ended. The charter for research vessel Laurence M. Gould expired in 2024. In July, NSF also made a decision to terminate the charter for the research icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer.

With looming budget cuts for polar science by the Trump administration, NSF is reallocating resources towards sustaining the three U.S. Antarctic research stations - McMurdo, Amundsen-Scott South Pole and Palmer Station. In addition, the NSF wants to transition from a two-vessel U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) toward a single-vessel operation.

NSF is currently pursuing development of a research icebreaker to support U.S-funded Antarctic studies. In the short-term, NSF will utilize the U.S. academic research fleet, supported by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System operators. With Sikuliaq now heading to Antarctica, it appears the vessel will temporarily support USAP in 2026. Sikuliaq is classified as ice-capable, with capacity to break ice up to 2.5 feet thick.

The vessel left Alaska’s Dutch Harbor on November 14 and is on a 10-day transit to Honolulu. From there, Sikuliaq will embark on a three-week NSF-funded research project in the South Pacific. The project will study influences on shifting levels of ocean heat near the equator.

After the project, the ship will then travel south to French Polynesia and later to Punta Arenas, Chile. Here, the vessel will prepare for a series of research projects that will last through March 2026. Some of the planned studies include a coring project on Antarctica’s Seymour Island, which will evaluate the effects of a mass extinction event during the Cretaceous period. Another study will evaluate the ecology of the ocean bottom off the West side of the Antarctic Peninsula by using divers to collect invertebrate samples.