Company News
New Polar Research Ship Nearing Completion
Tuesday 29th August 2017
RRS Sir David Attenborough, the new polar research ship that's intended to replace the current polar fleet here in the UK, is nearing completion, with the rearmost portion of the stern now being moved from the production yard to Birkenhead, where the rest of the hull is being constructed.
According to the BBC, it will take about a week for the 900-tonne section to be moved from Tyneside and make its way around the country. The ship itself, which will cost some £200 million and has been designed by Rolls-Royce, will feature a helipad, cranes, a big cargo hold and on-board labs, as well as being able to deploy sampling and ocean survey gear, and submarines.
Cammell Laird was awarded the contract for building the ship, with CEO John Syvret saying: "This is precisely the kind of collaboration that can help rebuild the commercial shipbuilding industry and provide thousands of highly skilled jobs ... By investing in UK shipyards, and encouraging shipyards to work together, the UK can dramatically ramp up the number of ships it builds, converts and repairs, for the commercial and naval sectors at home and abroad."
Meanwhile, Boaty McBoatface - the yellow submarine that was so called after a competition to name the polar research ship backfired somewhat - has now returned home after its first major science expedition. It was used in the Antarctic to map the movement of deep cold water as it shifts from the White Continent towards the Atlantic. It is this flow of water that scientists believe has an important role to play in the regulation of our climate system.
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