Australia's new Antarctic vessel, RSV Nuyina, has been officially launched at the Hobart docks ahead of her maiden voyage to Antarctica.
The $529 million ship is scheduled to depart on Monday with 67 expeditioners and crew, delivering two helicopters to Davis research station and refuelling Casey station, as well as commissioning several new marine science projects.
Attending the launch on Saturday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the 25,000-tonne vessel was the most advanced polar research ship in the world.
"From aboard the RSV Nuyina, scientists will be able to research uncharted areas of the deep ocean and study the upper reaches of the atmosphere," he said.
At 160m long, the Nuyina is almost twice as big as Australia's previous Antarctic supply vessel, the 90m Aurora Australis, which was in service for 30 years.
RSV Nuyina is designed to handle waves of up to 14m and hurricane-like winds, and with a range of up to 16,000 nautical miles it can stay at sea for up to three months.
The ship is fitted out with modular laboratories and cutting-edge systems for collecting samples of species found deep in the ocean.
Australian Antarctic Division director Kim Ellis said it had taken a decade to design and build the ship and finally deliver it to Hobart, and he could not be more excited.
"It's much more than the cargo it's delivering, it's about the first journey south of this really important Australian asset," he told reporters.
Nuyina had to be towed from Romania, where it was built, to southern Holland for sea trials after the travel of specialists was hampered by COVID-19 restrictions.
The ship was originally expected to arrive in Tasmania in 2020, and had suffered building delays prior to COVID-19.
RSV Nuyina will be operated by the company Serco, and Mr Ellis said he expected some minor challenges on the first trip south.
"It's not about the problems we find, it's about the routines and regimes we have to fix those problems, to keep those ships going," he said.
RSV Nuyina will take 10 days to reach Davis, where it will stay for a few days, before a four-day trip to Casey, and a seven-day journey home to Tasmania.
A two-month research trip is scheduled for February-March.
Two charter ships will support RSV Nuyina over the summer, the ice-strengthened heavy cargo ship Happy Dragon and a smaller icebreaker Aiviq.
Australia's previous icebreaker Aurora Australis retired from its role in March 2020.
Nuyina means "southern lights" in the language of Tasmanian Aboriginals.
Australian Associated Press
