A unique vessel to track climate change

Engineered by Capgemini, the Tara Polar Station is built to survive long and harsh polar winters

If you want to understand how quickly Earth’s climate is changing, you head to the Central Arctic Ocean — one of the least known and most isolated environments on the planet. That is exactly where Tara Polar Station, a vessel engineered by Capgemini for the Tara Ocean Foundation, will embark on its mission.

The Central Arctic Ocean is currently warming at a rate four times faster than the rest of the planet, and the effects on the environment are plain to see: by 2045, the Arctic could experience years without summer sea ice. These rapid changes also have an impact on the organisms that live there, from plankton to polar bears.

Yet, despite its critical role in the planet’s climate system, our understanding of this fragile region has, until now, remained limited – especially because extreme conditions throughout the long and brutal winters make it near-impossible for traditional research vessels to stay and collect data.

With Tara Polar Station – a unique drifting observatory and laboratory – Capgemini is helping to change that by establishing a continuous research program in the region for the next 20 years. Tara Polar Station will allow researchers to drift with the ice throughout the winter, providing an outpost that can remain at the heart of the polar pack ice year-round for years to come.

Élise Gilbert, associate design director at frog, part of Capgemini, is one of the team that will bring the findings from the expeditions to the wider world.

“It is a unique and pioneering type of vessel,” she says. “I describe it as the International Space Station of the Ocean.”
The floating lab is built to support a rotational crew of 12 to 18 people, including sailors, scientists, doctors, polar explorers, and artists-in-residence.

For each Tara Polaris expedition, the teams will work on board in rotations of four to eight months, establishing a scientific presence in the high Central Arctic Ocean for at least the next 20 years.

Perfecting the design

Capgemini has been integral to this project from beginning to end, assisting with the initial concept and pre-design phases through to the final delivery of the vessel to ensure it is robust enough to meet the harsh challenges ahead.

Kévin Nocentini is a technology and innovation manager at Capgemini Engineering who helped with the station’s design and engineering, modelling the thermal and energy aspects of the vessel to ensure it can withstand the polar weather. It is a role that reflects Capgemini’s capabilities in building complex systems that operate in some of the planet’s most extreme environments.

“My background is in aerospace, and I’ve previously worked on space projects rather than maritime ones. For this project, it was about taking my skills in energy and thermal modelling, and applying them to the polar station’s design for its HVAC systems – heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as the integration of solar panels.

It also involved engineering the mechanical lock system for the ‘moonpool’.

“The moonpool is a central tunnel that provides direct access to the Ocean from inside the boat,” he says. “It allows divers and equipment to safely enter the water – even when the vessel is locked in winter ice. Everything we have designed helps science in real, concrete ways. It is the integration of all this tech for the vessel that’s innovative. It’s a complex and technical challenge that required a cross-fertilization of skills. It’s great to show we can lead on important work that has a direct impact.”

With that engineering phase concluded, Élise joined the team to lead the communication and experience design aspect of the collaboration. She brought her background in digital design to the project.

“The data that will be collected in the Central Arctic Ocean is highly technical and not immediately accessible to the public,” she says. “My role is in what we call ‘data telling’. This involves using metrics about the station’s location, ambient environment and the ongoing scientific experiments, to build stories that connect with the general public and help them understand the results. One of the crew, for example, will be an artist in residence who is there to capture imagery and pioneer new ways to bring to life the discoveries made on the vessel.”

First voyage

The true test for Tara Polar Station begins with the vessel’s first ‘polar drift’ mission in late summer 2026.

“While extensive test campaigns have already been carried out in real Central Arctic Ocean conditions (including operations in sea ice and during summer and winter), the first drift mission will take us one step further,” says Kévin. “It will allow us to observe how the systems behave over long durations in an environment where instability is the norm. Our engineering team will remain ready to adjust and fine-tune based on real-time data.”

Safety and comfort are priorities if the crew is to deliver its vitally important work. The scientific data collected by the station will be open source, providing unlimited access to global scientists and expanding knowledge into everything from microorganisms and atmospheric layers to the extent of plastic pollution. That research will fill critical gaps in global data – forming shared knowledge that can help inform environmental policies around the world.

News of the project has already reached global leaders.

“I had the incredible opportunity to present Capgemini’s work on Tara Polar Station to global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos,” says Élise. “It was so rewarding to see their response. It is real-world proof of our purpose at Capgemini – where engineering, strategic innovation and creative design come together to fight global problems.”

She adds that working on the project has been personally rewarding.

“I’m very concerned about climate change, as I think we all are. So, taking part in a project that helps us understand it – and hopefully helps scientists develop new solutions – is something to be super proud of. It’s very rewarding.”

Through skills-based volunteering, this adventure illustrates Capgemini’s ability to combine engineering, innovation, and purpose. From the engineering of the Polar Station to showcasing it at a global stage, Capgemini’s partnership with the Tara Ocean Foundation is set to transform global knowledge of climate change. And it’s only the start of the voyage.