Sonne

The 'Sonne' and the 'Maria S. Merian' are actually being fitted out at the Lloyd Yard in Bremerhaven and due to start towards the research vessel 'Polarstern' on May 18 to supply the scientists and crew in the Arctic Ocean. They will have on board equipment, food and replacement crew. Initially the 'Polarstern' was to be supplied by icebreakers and aircraft, but as many ports and airports in the region have been closed due to the corona pandmic, it became impossible to stick to this plan. The 'Polarstern' will leave its ice floe and meet the vessels at the ice barrier where the exchange takes place.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has launched and named Germany’s latest, biggest and most expensive research ship to date – the €124.4 million 'Sonne'. Merkel unveiled the 116m long and 20.6m wide newbuilding at a classic ceremony on Friday July 11th at Meyer subsidiary Neptun in Rostock-Warnemuende attended by some 300 official guests. It follows the new ship’s sea trials and 20 months of building at Neptun and parent Meyer in Papenburg. The new Sonne is a multi-purpose work horse now being outfitted to replace a 97.6m long and 14.2m wide predecessor still in service with operators Reederei RF Forschungsschiffahrt in Bremen which will take the new Sonne into deep-sea service next January in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Meyer Werft chief Bernard Meyer said at the launching that the design and building of the new Sonne had been “a big challenge”. He singled out the technological demands made on the new research ship by the scientific community.