Where is Nathaniel B. Palmer now?

Seadar has no displayable AIS position for Nathaniel B. Palmer in this profile. A coverage gap does not establish whether the ship is transmitting or where it is now.

What kind of ship is Nathaniel B. Palmer?

Nathaniel B. Palmer is an icebreaker, built in 1992 by North American Shipbuilding. The vessel is 85.3 m long with a beam of 18.3 m and has a gross tonnage of 6,174.

Who is recorded as the owner or manager of Nathaniel B. Palmer?

Edison Chouest Offshore is recorded as Registered owner for Nathaniel B. Palmer (source: Wikidata). This source record does not independently confirm today’s ownership or management.

What sanctions and inspection records does Seadar hold for Nathaniel B. Palmer?

Seadar has no matched sanctions record displayed for Nathaniel B. Palmer from the OFAC SDN list, the UK Sanctions List, the Canadian autonomous sanctions list, the EU list of designated vessels and the New Zealand Russia Sanctions Register. Coverage may be incomplete; this is not sanctions clearance. No matched inspection records are displayed for Nathaniel B. Palmer. Missing records do not establish whether the ship has been detained.

Nathaniel B. Palmer

Icebreaker · built 1992

IMO9007257No AIS position on record

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In short

Nathaniel B. Palmer (Icebreaker) has no AIS position on record with Seadar. Registered owner: Edison Chouest Offshore (source: Wikidata).

Vessel type: Icebreaker
Flag: —
Year built: 1992
Gross tonnage: 6,174
Size (length × beam): 85 m × 18 m
Registered owner: Edison Chouest Offshore

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Last reported position

No AIS position on record for this vessel. Identity and particulars are below.

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Identity & particulars

Name: Nathaniel B. Palmer
IMO numberWhat is an IMO number?: 9007257
MMSIWhat is an MMSI?: —
Call signWhat is a call sign?: —
Flag: —
Vessel type: Icebreaker
Gross tonnageGross tonnage vs deadweight: 6,174
Net tonnage: 1,852
Deadweight (DWT): Source: Wikidata, record Q3415807. Added to Seadar on September 23, 2026. Licence: CC0 1.0.2,500 t
Length overall: 85.3 m
Beam: 18.3 m
Year built: 1992

A tag next to a value names the register that supplied it (hover or tap it for the record and date). Values without a tag come from the ship's own AIS broadcasts or from Wikidata. Position and identity are derived live from AIS.

Ownership & management

Each line shows where the fact comes from. Links backed by an identifier point to the company page.

Registered owner: Edison Chouest Offshore
Source: Wikidata · reported · confidence 0.8 · retrieved Sep 22, 2026
Operator: Lockheed Martin
Source: Wikidata · reported · confidence 0.8 · retrieved Sep 22, 2026
Builder: North American Shipbuilding
Source: Wikidata · reported · confidence 0.8 · retrieved Sep 22, 2026

Timeline

Dated events for this ship from every source Seadar holds, newest first. Each line names its source; derived items say how they were derived.

Date	Event	Source
Sep 12, 2003	Reported departure from HonoluluAuthority-reported	USACE foreign traffic vessel entrances & clearances
Jun 12, 2003	Reported arrival at HonoluluAuthority-reported	USACE foreign traffic vessel entrances & clearances

Owner, operator and manager changes found by comparing yearly EU MRV reports are dated to the reporting year ("during 2025"), not to a day. Port calls here are the most recent only; the full lists are further down.

Port calls

Two kinds of evidence, kept apart: calls Seadar detected from the ship's AIS positions, and arrivals and departures published by port authorities and customs records.

Reported by authorities Authority-reported

Port	Record	Date (UTC)	Berth	Source
Honolulu USHNL	Departure	Sep 12, 2003(date only)	—	USACE foreign traffic vessel entrances & clearances
Honolulu USHNL	Arrival	Jun 12, 2003(date only)	—	USACE foreign traffic vessel entrances & clearances

Records published by the authority named on each row. Earliest record for this ship: June 12, 2003.

Source: US Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center (US CBP entrance/clearance records). Licence: US Government work — public domain.

About Nathaniel B. Palmer

Nathaniel B. Palmer is an icebreaking research vessel (RVIB) owned by Offshore Service Vessels LLC, operated by Edison Chouest Offshore, Inc. From its launch in 1992 until 2025 it was chartered by the United States National Science Foundation (NSF). Nathaniel B. Palmer and tasked with extended scientific missions in the Antarctic. Nathaniel B. Palmer was purpose-built for and delivered to the NSF by Edison Chouest Offshore's North American Shipbuilding facility in 1992. Nathaniel B. Palmer was able to support up to two helicopters, accommodated up to 45 science and technical personnel, had a crew of 22 and was capable of missions lasting up to 65 days. The vessel was named after merchant mariner and ship builder Nathaniel Brown Palmer, credited by some historians as the first American to see Antarctica.

Summary from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Nathaniel B. Palmer now?: Seadar has no displayable AIS position for Nathaniel B. Palmer in this profile. A coverage gap does not establish whether the ship is transmitting or where it is now.
What kind of ship is Nathaniel B. Palmer?: Nathaniel B. Palmer is an icebreaker, built in 1992 by North American Shipbuilding. The vessel is 85.3 m long with a beam of 18.3 m and has a gross tonnage of 6,174.
Who is recorded as the owner or manager of Nathaniel B. Palmer?: Edison Chouest Offshore is recorded as Registered owner for Nathaniel B. Palmer (source: Wikidata). This source record does not independently confirm today’s ownership or management.
What sanctions and inspection records does Seadar hold for Nathaniel B. Palmer?: Seadar has no matched sanctions record displayed for Nathaniel B. Palmer from the OFAC SDN list, the UK Sanctions List, the Canadian autonomous sanctions list, the EU list of designated vessels and the New Zealand Russia Sanctions Register. Coverage may be incomplete; this is not sanctions clearance. No matched inspection records are displayed for Nathaniel B. Palmer. Missing records do not establish whether the ship has been detained.

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