RSV Nuyina

RSV Nuyina undergoing sea trials in the North Sea, November 2020
History
Australia
NameNuyina
NamesakePalawa kani for southern lights
OwnerThe Australian Government
OperatorSerco
Port of registryHobart, Australia
Ordered2015
BuilderDamen Galați shipyard (Galați, Romania)
Yard number417[1]
Laid down8 September 2017[2]
Launched24 September 2018[3]
Completed19 August 2021[4]
Identification
StatusIn service[5]
General characteristics [6][7]
TypeIcebreaker, Research vessel
Displacement25,500 tonnes
Length160.3 m (526 ft)
Beam25.6 m (84 ft)
Draught9.3 m (31 ft)
Ice classPolar Class 3 Icebreaker(+)
Installed power
  • 2 × MAN 16V32/44CR
  • (2 × 9,600 kW)[8]
  • Four diesel generators[9]
Propulsion
Speed
  • 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) max;
  • 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) cruise;
  • 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) through
  • 1.65 m (5 ft) of ice
Range16,000 nautical miles (30,000 km; 18,000 mi)
Endurance90 days
Capacity
  • 1,900 m3 (67,000 cu ft) of cargo fuel
  • 1,200  tonnes of cargo
  • 96 TEU
  • 117 passengers
Crew32
Aircraft carriedUp to four helicopters
Aviation facilitiesHangar and helideck

RSV Nuyina is an icebreaking research and supply vessel intended to support Australian scientific activities and research bases in Antarctica. Capable of deploying a wide range of vehicles, including helicopters, landing barges and amphibious trucks to support the resupply operation, the new ship provides a modern platform for marine science research in both sea ice and open water with a large moon pool for launching and retrieving sampling equipment and remotely operated vehicles.

Design and construction

The original concept was developed by the Danish engineering company Knud E Hansen. Design and construction of the vessel was managed by the Dutch Damen Group at their shipyard in Romania.[10]

Following a contractual agreement on 28 April 2016 with DMS Maritime, a subsidiary of Serco, for delivery, operation and maintenance, the ship's design and construction was contracted to Damen Group.[11] The design was contracted to naval architects Knud E Hansen of Denmark.[12] In August 2017, keel laying took place at Damen's Galați shipyard in Romania.[12] Coins from Denmark, Netherlands, Romania, and Australia were welded to the keel as part of the keel laying.[10]

By March 2018, about 7,000 tons out of 10,000 had been cut, and the base of the hull had been completed.[13] In September 2018, the hull was successfully floated in the building dock and taken to the outfitting quay.[14] It was then towed to Vlissingen in the Netherlands for fitting out.[15]

The vessel was handed over on 19 August 2021.[4] In September it travelled from the Netherlands to Australia.[16]

RSV Nuyina's Ship's Bell

The bell for the Bridge of RSV Nuyina[17] was presented by the President of the ANARE Club[18] at the ship’s official launch on 18 December 2021.[19] It was manufactured in Maryborough, Queensland, by Olds Engineering,[20] from AS1567 - C92610 commonly referred to as G1 or ‘Admiralty gunmetal’, 88% copper, 10% tin, 2% zinc, supplied by Hayes Metals of New Zealand & Australia.[21]

The bell was engraved in Bendigo, Victoria, by National Engraving.[22] The bell’s lanyard was made by Dr Barbara Frankel from Tasmania. The whole project, from metal, manufacture, engraving and knotting, was donated by those involved, as a gift to the Australian Antarctic Division for RSV Nuyina.

Naming

On 29 September 2017, the name Nuyina (pronounced "noy-yee-nah") was announced by the Minister for the Environment, Josh Frydenberg. The name is the word in the palawa kani language of Aboriginal Tasmanians for the southern lights.[10] The name was suggested by school students in a competition, and is jointly attributed to students from St Virgil's College, Hobart and Secret Harbour Primary School, Perth.

The name Nuyina evokes the names of previous ships involved in Australian Antarctic research and investigation:[10]

Service

Nuyina began sea trials in the North Sea on 23 November 2020.[23]

Nuyina entered Damen Schiedam dry-dock in February 2021 for an unspecified reason.

It will be operated by Serco under the direction of the Australian Antarctic Division for the Australian Government.[24] It will support science operations in the Antarctic, as well as resupplying the Australian Antarctic Division stations: Casey, Davis, Mawson and Macquarie Island.

Due to mechanical problems in the propulsion line, Nuyina was repaired in Singapore under warranty, unable to be used during the 2022-23 Antarctic season.[25][26] It resumed service in May 2023.[27]

In 2023, it was reported that Nuyina would have to sail to Burnie on the other side of Tasmania, some 360 nautical miles (670 km) away by sea, for refuelling before heading out to Antarctica. The ship's permission to pass under the Tasman Bridge to reach the refuelling station at Selfs Point, about 2.2 nautical miles (4 km) from its home berth in Hobart, was revoked due to safety concerns: due to its icebreaking hull form demonstrating excessive side slip during simulations and sea trials, Nuyina was found to have insufficient directional stability to safely complete the turn required before passing between the bridge pylons when sailing out. While the ship's protruding bridge wings were extended by 3.6 metres (12 ft) during construction to improve visibility near the ship's sides,[28] this did not have an impact on the decision on the ruling.[29][30][31]

In late August 2023, the Nuyina sailed from Tasmania towards Australia's Casey Station research base on the Bailey Peninsula in Antarctica. Two helicopters from the Nuyina rescued a member of the team at the base who was suffering a medical emergency that required evacuation.[32]

Science capabilities

Scientific Data from RSV Nuyina

Data from Nuyina can be accessed through https://data.aad.gov.au/.

Fixed laboratories

Containerised laboratories

  • 15 serviced lab module slots (services equiv to fixed wet labs)
  • 9 serviced support module slots

Science spaces

  • Aft control room
  • Aft Deck ~ 500m2
  • Battery charging rooms x 2
  • Crows nest
  • CTD hangar
  • Electronics laboratory
  • Foremast
  • Gas bottles storage lockers x 4
  • Hazardous material store
  • Laboratory store
  • Observation huts
  • Sea ice refueling area
  • Sea ice staging area
  • Sea ice staging drying room
  • Science cool and cold stores
  • Science frozen store lobby
  • Science meeting room
  • Science Offices
  • Science Operations Room
  • Science winch room

Scientific Deployment Systems

  • A frame 30t static with 10t and 5t winches
  • Air sampling pipes in foremast x 2
  • CTD hangar overhead crane
  • CTD winches fibre optic x 2 (EOM)
  • Deep core handling system
  • Deep sea coring winch
  • Deep sea towing winch fibre optic (EOM)
  • Drop keels x 2
  • Forward outboard deployment system
  • General purpose CTD hangar winch
  • General purpose winch
  • Moonpool and cursor frame
  • Multi-purpose overhead crane 10t
  • Sea ice ramp
  • Side outboard deployment system (SODS)
  • Towed body winch fibre optic (EOM)
  • Trawl winches x 2
  • Tugger winches x 2
  • Twin net drum

Scientific data collection systems

Scientific Data Management System (SDMS)

Acoustic

Atmospheric

Seawater

Science equipment

  • -86 °C ultra low freezers x 2
  • -135 °C ultra low freezer
  • C-channel (science spaces and aft science deck)
  • Chemical storage freezer x 4
  • Chemical storage fridge x 4
  • Compressed instrument air (pure) in labs
  • CUFES (continuous underway fish egg sampler)
  • Deck inserts (science spaces and aft science deck)
  • Display computers
  • Flammable and corrosive chemical storage cabinets (vented ) x 11
  • Fumes cupboards x 5
  • Liquid nitrogen bulk storage and dispenser units (200L) x 2
  • Reagent grade water in labs
  • Science container interface
  • Trace metal free seawater in labs
  • Ultra pure (Milli Q) water x 2
  • Vacuum waste system in labs

Science tender

References

  1. ^ "DAMEN SCHELDE 417 (9797060)". Sea-web. S&P Global. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Icebreaker Keel Laying – Australian Antarctic Division". Knud E Hansen. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Damen performs float-out of Australian icebreaker". Damen. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Flying the flag over Australia's new icebreaker". Australian Antarctic Division. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Nuyina (9797060)". Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  6. ^ NUYINA. Knud E. Hansen. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  7. ^ Icebreaker specifications. Australian Antarctic Division. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  8. ^ "MAN Powers Antarctic Icebreaker". MAN Energy Solutions. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b "A state-of-the-art antarctic icebreaker: ASRV Nuyina". Damen. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d Boaty McBoatface: Australia sees the light on naming new icebreaker after southern aurora, ABC News, 2017-09-29
  11. ^ Australian Icebreaker Operated by DMS Maritime to be Constructed by Damen, Damen Group media release, 2016-05-06
  12. ^ a b Keel-Laying of Australia's new icebreaker laid, Knud E. Hansen media release, 2017-08-25
  13. ^ Australia's Icebreaker Taking Shape. Maritime Executive, 17 March 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  14. ^ "Damen performs float-out of Australian icebreaker". Damen Shipyards Group. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  15. ^ Breaker News Completion Ships Monthly October 2020 page 7
  16. ^ "RSV Nuyina homeward bound". www.antarctica.gov.au. 1 September 2021. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021.
  17. ^ "RSV Nuyina – Australia's Antarctic icebreaker". www.antarctica.gov.au. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions". ANARE Club | Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  19. ^ "RSV Nuyina launches new era in Antarctic science". www.antarctica.gov.au. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Olds Engineering - Mechanical Engineers and Founders". www.olds.com.au. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Scrap Metal & Smelting Services Auckland :: Hayes Metals". www.hayesmetals.com.au. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  22. ^ "National Engraving Co". National Engraving Co. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  23. ^ RSV Nuyina embarks on sea trials Australian Antarctic Division 24 November 2020
  24. ^ Tupas, Nastasha (18 October 2021). "Serco's RSV Nuyina exceeds all capability expectations". Defence Connect. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Brand-new icebreaker breaks, again". ABC News. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  26. ^ "It was meant to be a 'Disneyland for scientists', but Australia's icebreaker is sitting out the Antarctic season". ABC News. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  27. ^ "Australia's Advanced Icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, Resumes Operations". 3 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Damen: Antarctic research vessel Nuyina is the most complex ship we ever built". SWZ Maritime. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  29. ^ "FOI documents reveal RSV Nuyina's $875k fuel cost blowout after Antarctic icebreaker banned from transiting Tasman Bridge". ABC. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  30. ^ "Australia's icebreaker Nuyina 'hit' Tasman Bridge multiple times during computer simulations". ABC. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  31. ^ "Australia's $528m Antarctic icebreaker wider than initially designed as bridge impasse labelled 'farcical'". The Guardian. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  32. ^ Zhuang, Yan (4 September 2023). "Perilous, Icy Mission Rescues Sick Worker in Antarctica". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 September 2023.