Australia’s new Antarctic icebreaker, the Nuyina, hit by 19 week delay

Delivery of Australia’s new Antarctic icebreaker has been hit by an almost five-month delay, meaning it won’t be ready to resupply stations for the 2021 season.

Delivery of Australia’s new Antarctic icebreaker has been hit by an almost five-month delay, meaning the vessel won’t be ready to resupply stations for the 2021 season.

Australian Antarctic Division director Kim Ellis has confirmed the existing 13-week delay for the delivery of the RSV Nuyina has blown out to 19 weeks.

The ship, Nuyina, was undergoing Harbour Acceptance Testing in Galati, Romania in October last year.

The delay was “not surprising” and contingency planning was already in place for another ship to resupply the Antarctic stations this summer, he told a Senate Estimates hearing in Canberra yesterday.

“We’ve received advice in the last two weeks from the lead contractor Serco Defence … that there will now be a 19-week delay in the delivery of the ship, which will have the ship in Hobart on the 2nd of November, with the potential for harbour trials to take it through to the 31st of December,” Mr Ellis said.

The galley is a full-scale commercial kitchen that contains ovens, cooktops, microwaves, dishwashers, stainless steel sinks and a bread maker. © Damen/Australian Antarctic Division

The ship would likely be available for operations from the first week of January, he said.

The AAD expects to deploy another vessel on a temporary contract for this summer.

The Nuyina will be able to head to sea and conduct ocean research when it arrives, but will not be deployed to resupply stations until next year.

The main conference room with seating for up to 80 people will be used for briefings and training and will also double as a theatrette for movie nights on the ship. Pic credit: Damen/Australian Antarctic Division

It comes after former crew members of the nation’s current icebreaker, the Aurora Australis, last week called on government to consider repurposing the ship to be an emergency response vessel which could help out in an event like this summer’s bushfire crisis.