Australian Antarctic Division, Bygg nr. 417 ved Damen Schelde Scheepsnieuwbouw B.V., Research & Supply Icebreaker RSV "Nuyina"

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Australian Icebreaker operated by DMS Maritime to be constructed by Damen

State-of-the-art vessel for Australian Antarctic Division

On April 28 at a ceremony in Hobart Tasmania, the Australian Government signed a contract with DMS Maritime, a wholly owned subsidiary of Serco, for the delivery, operation and maintenance of an Antarctic Supply Research Vessel (ASRV) with icebreaking capabilities. The vessel will be built by the Damen Shipyards Group and will form an integral part of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) programme in the coming years. The ceremony was attended by Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julia Bishop and Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt.

Explaining the decision to subcontract Damen for the design and building of the vessel, Serco CEO Asia Pacific Mark Irwin said, “Damen is a leading international shipyards group with a strong international presence. As well as building a broad portfolio of standardised vessels in series, Damen has produced a range of bespoke vessels including scientific, hydrographic, naval and ice ships. Damen and Serco have a strong partnership and over the last ten years, Damen has supplied over 40 vessels used by Serco to support naval operations in the UK and Australia.”

The realisation of this vessel will draw upon a number of companies within the Damen Shipyards Group and Damen’s wider network. Denmark-based KNUD E. HANSEN executed the concept and tender designs, whilst engineering and project management is being delivered by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in Vlissingen, the Netherlands. Construction and outfitting of the vessel will be carried out at Damen Shipyards Galati, Romania.

Damen Sales Director Asia Pacific Roland Briene said: “Drawing on the diverse skills found across our organisation, we are able to connect up all the dots in order to deliver a cohesive, full scope project execution. An icebreaking research and supply vessel such as this represents a new market entry for Damen and we are very pleased to be working with AAD and DMS on this exciting project.”

The ASRV represents a state-of-the-art solution which will facilitate Australia’s wider exploration of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. The vessel will be 156 metres in length, with a beam of 25.6 metres. She will be able to break ice up 1.65 metres at speeds of 3 knots and will supply Australia’s permanent research stations in Antarctica and Macquarie Island with cargo, equipment and personnel. Designed with 500 m2 on board laboratory and office facilities, the vessel will also serve to conduct research activities. The ASRV will host up to 32 DMS Maritime crew and as many as 116 AAD scientific personnel as well as a doctor, in climate controlled accommodation.

AAD’s programme aims at the advancement of Australia’s scientific, strategic, environmental and economic interests in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. It is a world-class programme focused on stewardship, climate research and the study of both terrestrial and marine eco-systems.

After completion at Damen’s yard in Galati, the ASRV will sail to DSNS in the Netherlands for handover to the client, scheduled for April 2020.

Kilde: Damen

"Nuyina"
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Begge illustrasjoner: Knud E. Hansen
 
First steel cut for Australian Antarctic Supply Research Vessel

31 May 2017: Marking the commencement of construction of the Damen Antarctic Supply Research Vessel (ASRV), a steel cutting ceremony has been held at Damen Shipyards Galati, Romania. Damen is constructing the ASRV for Serco Defence, a wholly owned subsidiary of Serco Australia who, in turn, signed a contract with the Australian Government last year for the delivery, operation and maintenance of the vessel.

“Cutting the first steel for any vessel is always significant. However, the fact that the ASRV is such a ground-breaker makes this a very exciting moment,” says Damen Project Director Joop Noordijk. “The whole team are looking forward to building what is actually an icebreaker, survey vessel and resupply vessel all rolled into one.”
First steel cut for Australian ASRV

Increased capacity

The 160-metre ASRV will perform numerous tasks for the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). “The new vessel is a multi-mission ship designed to sustain our geographically dispersed stations, support helicopter operations, sustain shore parties on remote islands, map the seafloor and undertake a variety of scientific activities across the Southern Ocean,” says AAD Modernisation Program Manager Rob Bryson.

To fulfil these diverse roles, the ASRV boasts considerable cargo capacity: up to 96 TEU below decks and 14 TEU and six 10-foot containers on the aft deck, as well as more above the helicopter hanger and in front of the helideck. This represents a substantial increase in container carrying capacity from the AAD’s current vessel, the Aurora Australis, which can transport a total 19 containers. In practical terms, this means that the ice-breaking ASRV will be able to resupply two stations in one voyage.

Research potential

In addition to supplying Australia’s three permanent research stations on the Antarctic continent as well as its research station on the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island with cargo, equipment and personnel, the ASRV will be able to carry out comprehensive scientific research activities. To this end, the vessel will be equipped with a 500 m2 on-board laboratory that will serve as workspace for up to 116 AAD scientific staff.

In terms of research possibilities, the ASRV will serve as a valuable asset towards the advance of scientific knowledge and understanding of the Southern Ocean. The vessel will feature a 13-metre deep wide moon-pool for deployment of conductivity, temperature, acoustic and depth measurements.

The ASRV design also incorporates a ‘wet well’ sampling space, a scientifically pioneering installation that consists of a watertight room below the water line that can be used for biological sampling. Further activities such as seismic mapping, AUV operation and net deployment can be performed on the sizeable aft deck.

Future proof science

A key part of the vessel design lies in the fact that the ASRV is expected to be in service – and therefore to continue to perform cutting edge research – for 30 years. “What this means is that we went for a more modularised approach to the science spaces with a preference for containerised laboratory spaces rather than fixed labs. This allows us to adapt the ship for the science questions that need to be answered in the future,” states Mr Bryson.

Serco Australia Chief Executive Officer Mark Irwin said, “Serco has again been able to provide the skills and support required to enable the continued development of this exciting and unique vessel delivery project, and will continue to work closely with our customer, the AAD, and our design and build partner, Damen, to progress to final delivery in 2020. Congratulations to the project team for meeting this significant milestone and as we now start to turn our attentions to the build stage we should look forward to further successes in the very near future.”

Construction and outfitting of the vessel will be carried out at Damen Shipyards Galati, with engineering and project management being provided by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding in the Netherlands.

Kilde: Damen
 
Damen performs float-out of Australian icebreaker

Damen has carried out the successful floating of the Antarctic Supply Research Vessel (ASRV) RSV Nuyina currently under construction at Damen Shipyards Galati. The carefully executed procedure was achieved by raising the water level in the yard’s dry dock by six metres; a process taking two days to complete.

Once afloat, the vessel was manoeuvred 250 metres to a quayside berth where the ongoing construction and outfitting process will take place.

Damen is building the 160-metre long ASRV for Serco subsidiary DMS Maritime on behalf of the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy. The vessel has been designed with a multi-mission role in mind. It will keep Australia’s three permanent research stations on the Antarctic continent and its research station on Macquarie Island supplied with cargo, equipment and personnel. Additionally, it will serve as a fully equipped research laboratory facility for up to 116 scientific staff.

Collaborative process

Construction of the vessel began in August 2017 with a ceremonial keel-laying ceremony. Building from the keel up, the build process has reached the fourth deck level in that time. Now that the vessel is afloat, construction will continue with the positioning of pre-fabricated superstructure blocks, bringing the finished vessel to its full 10-deck height of just over 50 metres.

The construction process is calling on input from two different Damen yards: Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding in the Netherlands is providing engineering and project management services, and Damen Shipyards Galati is carrying out vessel construction and outfitting tasks. Talking about the cooperation between the two yards, Damen Project Director Joop Noordijk says: “This project is benefiting from the great collaborative relationship between these two sister companies – one that has been built up during the building of seven previous vessels for the Royal Netherlands Navy.”

Complex contracts

“This is a great achievement for all involved,” concurs Rino Brugge, Managing Director Damen Shipyards Galati. “We still have a long way to go until final delivery, but this float-out once again highlights the extraordinary capability we have for building extremely complex high-end vessels for the broadest range of maritime clients – including commercial operators as well as government and naval contracts.”

Kilde: Damen

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Foto: via Damen
 
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