Research sailing vessel Forel Photo: Richard Mardens
The Forel Heritage Association is launching a call for proposals for a scientific mission aboard the
research sailing vessel FOREL, operating in the Mackenzie River Delta as part of the PAP-27
Program.
The PAP-27 expeditions (Polarstern–Amundsen Partnership 2027) are a joint initiative
supported by the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine research
(AWI) and Amundsen Science, developed under the broader Arctic Pulse umbrella initiative,
which aims to strengthen coordination, integration, and international alignment of Arctic
research activities in the lead-up to International Polar Year (IPY) 2032-33. At its core, PAP-27
will investigate the physical, biogeochemical, ecological, and societal connectivity between the
Beaufort Sea, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and adjacent coastal systems through
coordinated international research platforms and Indigenous partnerships.
Complementing the offshore activities of the RV Polarstern and the CCGS Amundsen, the
research sailboat Forel will operate in the coastal areas and shelf of the Mackenzie Delta, where
none of the above icebreakers can operate due to shallow waters. The Mackenzie River Delta,
located in northwestern Canada (Northwest Territories, NWT), is one of the largest Arctic deltas
and plays a major role in exchanges between terrestrial, fluvial, marine, and atmospheric
environments. This added capability will provide researchers with the opportunity to study this
coastal zone characterized by intense exchanges between terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
FOREL is a 28-meter aluminum expedition sailing vessel specifically designed for polar and
subpolar coastal research. The vessel is equipped with wet, dry, and clean laboratories, allowing
multidisciplinary scientific operations in remote Arctic environments.
Schedule and organization
The 2027 summer expedition will be structured into five phases (legs):
- Leg 1 – Transit Lorient (France) – Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe, France): April to May
- Leg 2 – Transit Pointe-à-Pitre – Tuktoyaktuk (NWT): June to July
- Leg 3 – Tuktoyaktuk (PAP-27): mid-August to early September
- Leg 4 – Northwest Passage (Tuktoyaktuk – Pond Inlet, NU): September
- Leg 5 – Lancaster Sound: mid-September to late September (subject to a separate call for proposals)
Surface water sampling (primary production, elements, and particles) may be conducted during
transit legs; this should be specified in the proposals.
More information and the full call for proposals are available here:
FOREL – Call for Proposals
Submission deadline: September 1, 2026.
