RV Sikuliaq (2014)
Sikuliaq (IMO 9578945) is a research vessel owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
She is an IACS Polar Class 5 (PC 5) vessel, which means the structure of her hull allows her to operate year-round in “medium first-year ice which may include old ice inclusions.”1International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)2First-year ice is “sea ice of not more than one winter’s growth.” Medium ice is 70–120 cm (27.6–47.2 in) thick. Old ice is “sea ice which has survived at least one summer’s melt.” WMO Sea-Ice Nomenclature
Sikuliaq is an Iñupiaq word meaning “young ice formed around the edge of old solid ice on open lead.”3Iñupiaq Online Dictionary: Iñupiatun Uqaluit Taniktun Sivuniŋit
Sikuliaq at Pier 35, Honolulu Harbor. 1 February 2025.
