Antarctic ship delivery on ice

Delivery of Australia’s new $529 million icebreaker is running late, forcing the Antarctic program to scout for a stand-in ship.

Australian icebreaker Nuyina under construction in Damen shipyards, Romania. Picture: Damen/Australian Antarctic Division

Delivery of Australia’s new $529m icebreaker is running three months late, forcing the Antarctic program to scout for a stand-in ship as a contingency to guarantee vital station resupply.

The 160.3m-long RSV Nuyina, being built in Romania, was due to be delivered to the Australian Antarctic Division in Hobart next June, well ahead of the start of the 2020-21 Antarctic shipping season in October.

But The Australian has confirmed that mainly because of construction delays, arrival of the state-of-the-art Antarctic flagship is 13 weeks behind schedule.

“At this stage, the Nuyina will arrive in Hobart in October 2020 ready to commence a commissioning season, while conducting resupply voyages in support of the Australian Antarctic Program,” said Australian Antarctic Division director Kim Ellis.

“With a 13-week delay, the Australian Antarctic Program is still capable of delivering the 2020-21 season as planned using the RSV Nuyina.  If there are further delays, we will consider the implications and are undertaking contingency planning as a matter of sound risk management.”

It is understood this has involved scouting the availability of a stand-in icebreaker. The vessel being replaced by the Nuyina, Australia’s icebreaker of the past 30 years, the Aurora Australis, is not contracted to AAD after this 2019-20 Antarctic season. 

However, owner P&O Maritime confirmed the Aurora, affectionately known as the Orange Roughy, was yet to be sold or ­engaged in another lease, potentially making it available for hire by AAD for another season or part thereof. “Aurora Australis is still considered to be available for use in a number of markets,” said a P&O spokesman.  

If the Aurora was unavailable or unavailable at acceptable terms, AAD could also look to temporarily lease an icebreaker from overseas, with Russia in particular having a large fleet of the vessels.

Mr Ellis said the unique design of the world-class Nuyina had complicated construction, causing delays. “Finalising the design of this bespoke vessel has been challenging, resulting in longer timeframes for some aspects of the design, engineering and construction process,” he said. 

“Construction delays have primarily been the result of the amount of welding time required to consolidate the ship’s sections together in the dry dock, and the level of complexity associated with key construction details in the bow and stern of the vessel.

 “This takes into account the very large steel thicknesses ­required to be welded together.”

Taxpayers are not exposed to any cost increase as a result of ­delays, but hire of a temporary icebreaker could incur significant costs for AAD.

Despite the delay, there is excitement within the Antarctic and Hobart communities about the arrival of Nuyina, described as a “game changer” for AAD’s operations and re-supply of stations at Mawson, Davis, Casey and Macquarie Island. 

Nuyina, an Aboriginal word for the southern lights, has a superior range, and capacity to break ice, carry cargo and conduct marine science, than the much-loved but ageing Aurora.