Additional weeks of deepwater trials involving the Australian Antarctic Division, ship managers Serco and shipbuilder Damen will follow the beginning of the month-long sea trials, which were put back due to delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ship speed, noise, propulsion systems, steering, advanced electrical systems and research equipment testing will take place as the vessel prepares early next year for final sea ice tests in the Arctic.
Constructed at Damen's Gala'i shipyard in Romania and towed to the Netherlands for final commissioning and sea trials, RSV Nuyina will provide Antarctic researchers with a scientific platform carrying state-of-the-art equipment to study the depths of the Southern Ocean, sea ice and the upper atmosphere.
To replace the retired Aurora Australis, the 160-meter-long, 24,000-ton RSV Nuyina was constructed to give scientists expanded access to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
The icebreaker will be the key lifeline for Australia's Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic research stations for decades to come, with the ability to hold 117 expeditioners, 1,200 tons of cargo and 1.9 million liters of fuel.
It is expected that Nuyina (meaning 'southern lights' in palawa kani, the language of Tasmanian Aborigines, pronounced noy-yee-nah) will arrive at its home port of Hobart in mid-2021 to begin Antarctic operations in the summer season of next year.
Maritime Business World