Bureau Veritas partners with Tara Ocean Foundation to class polar station

Founded in 2003, the Tara Ocean Foundation is the first public interest foundation in France dedicated to the ocean. It has two main missions: exploring the ocean to improve understanding and sharing this knowledge to raise public awareness. The Foundation also works to educate younger generations, facilitate international cooperation and mobilize policymakers. 

Advancing marine science

BV’s partnership with the Tara Ocean Foundation will support the construction of its Tara Polar Station. The drifting polar station will welcome aboard scientists from all over the world – from climatologists to oceanographers and glaciologists. With planned missions up to 2045, the team aboard the vessel will study the impact of climate change on the Arctic region, with a particular focus on biodiversity. 

BV will deliver classification as well as statutory certificates and assist the foundation throughout the design and construction of the vessel. This will involve design approval, including hull inspection and overseeing its construction at the Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) shipyard in Cherbourg, France. 

Leveraging Bureau Veritas’ polar expertise

The partnership with the Tara Ocean Foundation builds on BV’s expertise in polar vessels, with over 20 years’ experience in Arctic projects. BV provides Rules for the classification of ships operating in polar waters and icebreakers (NR 527) and Guidelines for existing ships operating in polar waters (NI 650).

Ice- and Polar-class vessels are specialized vessels built to withstand harsh conditions. BV provides assessments of compliance with specific regulations for safe operation in polar waters – ranging from stability calculations, ship structural equivalency analyses and operational assessments. 

BV’s long-term partnership with the Tara Ocean Foundation promises to be an exciting journey as construction progresses toward a target delivery date in 2025.

"The Tara Polar Station is one of a kind, both in its scientific ambition and in the extreme weather conditions it will face during the expeditions. The expertise brought by Bureau Veritas in this partnership with the Tara Ocean Foundation is essential to ensure the safety and certification of this project, hence the future of science in the Arctic Ocean." Romain Troublé, Executive Director of the Tara Ocean Foundation