The Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE), organised by the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI), took place in the austral summer of 2016 / 17. Scientists from all over the world studied a wide range of disciplines, collecting data and samples from the Southern Ocean and a number of terrestrial sites on islands around Antarctica, as well as the continent itself.

The R/V Akademik Tryoshnikov left Cape Town, South Africa in December 2016, visiting Iles de Crozet and Kerguelen, and passing by Heard Island on its way to Hobart, Australia. After leaving Hobart in January 2017, the voyage headed due South to the Mertz glacier before visiting the remote  Balleny Islands, Mount Siple, Peter I and Scott Island, with one final stop at Diego Ramirez, a small group of islands in Chilean waters. The final leg of the journey took place beginning in Punta Arenas, Chile in February 2017. The ship journeyed to South Georgia, passed by the South Sandwich Islands and made its final stop at the remote island of Bouvetoya before arriving back in Cape Town in March 2017.

Before and after the circumnavigation, the ship travelled from and to Bremerhaven (Germany), collecting data enroute.

ACE was the first project carried out by the newly created Swiss Polar Institute (SPI). From December 2016 to March 2017, scientific teams from all over the world took part in this ground-breaking expedition aboard the Russian research vessel Akademik Tryoshnikov. From biology to climatology to oceanography, the researchers worked in a number of interrelated fields as they sought to expand our understanding of the White Continent.

ACE’s starting point was Cape Town, South Africa. During the Akademik Tryoshnikov’s pre-expedition voyage from Bremerhaven, Germany, to Cape Town in November 2016, the ship hosted the ACE Maritime University under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society. During this voyage, some 50 up-and-coming scientists attended onboard lectures and engaged in oceanographic work.

The SPI was founded by EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), ETH Zurich, the University of Bern and Editions Paulsen. It was designed to enhance international relations and scientific collaborations and to spark the interest of a new generation of young scientists and explorers in polar research.