(BODO, Norway) — Rapp Marine Group has been awarded the deck machinery and handling systems contract for Australia’s new Antarctic icebreaker.
The 156-meter (512-foot) ship will offer scientists unprecedented and extended access to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. The ship will replace Aurora Australis, which has been in service since 1989. According to a fact sheet released by the Australian Antarctic Division, the new icebreaker will have an icebreaking capability of 1.65 meters at 3 knots compared to the existing vessel's 1.23 meters at 2.5 knots.
The vessel will supply Antarctic research stations with cargo, equipment and personnel, and will serve as a research ship with extensive laboratory facilities and a multi-beam bathymetric echo sounder for seafloor mapping.
The vessel will be designed and built by the Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding. The new icebreaker will form an integral part of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) program for the next 30 years. The custom-built research and supply ship is due to arrive at its home port of Hobart in mid-2020.
For more information, visit www.rappmarine.com.
