AkzoNobel has been named as exclusive paints and coatings partner for a pioneering scientific expedition that will send a manned oceanographic platform drifting around Antarctica.
The Polar Pod, the brainchild of French explorer and environmentalist Jean-Louis Etienne, is designed to enable international scientists and researchers to study the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which has a major influence on the Earth’s climate and contains an immense reserve of marine biodiversity.
According to the company, the 100-meter-high Polar Pod will not be motorized, so it will be zero emission, silently driven by the circumpolar current—like an ocean-going satellite—as it gradually makes its way around Antarctica. AkzoNobel will sponsor the 1,000-ton platform for the next five years, from project construction through to the completion of its three-year mission, which is expected to begin in December 2023.
The partnership “represents an intriguing blend of visionary thinking and environmental ambition which fits perfectly with our own ‘People. Planet. Paint.’ approach to sustainable business,” said AkzoNobel CEO Thierry Vanlancker. “We’re extremely proud to be involved.”
The Polar Pod will be supported by a dedicated offshore supply vessel, which will be permanently assigned to the mission. It will leave the nearest port to join the platform on its drift course as it crosses the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and slowly negotiates the most powerful current on the planet.
The post AkzoNobel Partners with Polar Pod for Scientific Mission appeared first on American Coatings Association.
from American Coatings Association https://www.paint.org/akzonobel-partners-with-polar-pod-for-scientific-mission/
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