Japanese Navy sends its icebreaker Shirase to Antarctica.

According to a tweet published by the Japanese MoD on December 6, 2022, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force has sent its icebreaker Shirase to conduct a mission in Antarctica.
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Japanese icebreaker Shirase in Antarctica. (Picture source: Japanese MoD)

Shirase is a Japanese icebreaker operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and is Japan's fourth icebreaker for Antarctic expeditions. She inherited her name from her predecessor.

She was launched in April 2008 and commissioned in May 2009 with the hull number AGB-5003. She began her first voyage on 10 November 2009.

The icebreaker has a length of 138 m (452 ft 9 in), a beam of 28 m (91 ft 10 in) and a draft of 9.2 m (30 ft 2 in). She has a displacement of 20,000 tons and can carry a complement of 175 sailors.

The propulsion system is composed of four main generator engines, four electric motors with PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controlled inverter, and two fixed pitch propellers. She can reach a top speed of 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph). The icebreaker was designed for a continuous icebreaking capability of 1.5 m thick ice at 3 knots and 22 MW.

An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships.

For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most normal ships lack: a strengthened hull, an ice-clearing shape, and the power to push through sea ice.