RSV Nuyina
Nuyina is an icebreaking research and supply vessel (RSV), intended to support Australian bases in Antarctica. The vessel can deploy 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.
RSV Nuyina undergoing sea trials in the North Sea in November 2020 | |
History | |
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Australia | |
Name: | Nuyina |
Namesake: | Palawa kani for southern lights |
Owner: | Government of Australia |
Operator: | DMS Maritime |
Port of registry: | Hobart, Australia |
Ordered: | 2015 |
Builder: | Damen Galați shipyard, Galați, Romania |
Yard number: | 417[1] |
Laid down: | 8 September 2017[2] |
Launched: | 24 September 2018[3] |
Completed: | 2020 (planned)[4] |
Identification: | IMO number: 9797060[1] |
Status: | Under construction |
General characteristics [5][6] | |
Type: | Icebreaker, Research vessel |
Displacement: | 25,500 tonnes |
Length: | 160.3 m (526 ft) |
Beam: | 25.6 m (84 ft) |
Draught: | 9.3 m (31 ft) |
Ice class: | Polar Class 3 |
Propulsion: |
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Speed: |
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Range: | 16,000 nautical miles (30,000 km; 18,000 mi) |
Endurance: | 90 days |
Capacity: |
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Crew: | 32 |
Aircraft carried: | Up to four helicopters |
Aviation facilities: | Hangar and helideck |
Design and construction
The original concept was developed by the Danish engineering company Knud E Hansen, and the design and construction is being managed by the Dutch Damen Group, which built the vessel in its Romania yard.[7]
Following contractual agreement on 28 April 2016[8] with DMS Maritime for delivery, operation and maintenance, the ship’s design and construction was contracted to Damen Group. Design[9] was contracted to naval architects Knud E Hansen of Denmark. The keel laying was in August 2017[9] at Damen’s Galați shipyard in Romania. Coins from Denmark, Netherlands, Romania, and Australia, were welded to the keel as part of the keel laying.[7] As of March 2018, about 7,000 tons out of 10,000 had been cut and the base of the hull had been completed.[4] In September 2018 the hull was successfully floated in the building dock and taken to the outfitting quay.[10] It was then towed to Vlissingen, Holland for fitting out.[11]
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 the Tasmanian aborigines for the southern lights.[7] 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:[7]
- Aurora Australis (1989–2020), Australia's previous icebreaking research and resupply vessel
- SY Aurora (1876–1918), used by Douglas Mawson for exploring the continent (1910–14) and Ernest Shackleton
Service
Nuyina began sea trails in the North Sea on 23 November 2020.[12]
It will be operated by DMS Maritime under the direction of the Australian Antarctic Division for the Australian Government and will be supporting science operations in the Antarctic as well as resupplying the Australian Antarctic Division stations: Casey, Davis, Mawson and Macquarie Island.
Science Capabilities
Fixed laboratories
- Air chemistry space
- Dry labs x 2
- Meteorological lab
- Wet labs x 2
- Wet well
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 Management System (SDMS)
- KVM matrix switching
- Scientific racks
Acoustic
- Acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) in drop keel
- ADCP in hull
- Broadband echo sounders in hull (38, 50, 70, 120 & 200 kHz)
- Broadband echo sounders in drop keel (18, 38, 70, 120 & 200 kHz)
- Bubble monitoring cameras and noise monitoring hydrophones for Silent R and acoustic systems
- Deep multi beam echo sounder system in hull
- High resolution multi beam bathymetric echo sounder (MBES) system in drop keel
- Hydrophones for acoustic releases in hull
- Hydrophones for mammalian observations in drop keel
- Net monitoring transducers in drop keels
- Retractable high frequency Omni fisheries sonar
- Side looking multi beam in drop keel
- Sub bottom profiler in hull
- Sound velocity profiler
- USBL (ultra-short baseline system) in hull
Atmospheric
- Accumulated rain sensor
- Air pressure monitor
- Air temperature sensors (port, starboard and foremast)
- Automated total sky imager
- Ceilometer cloud height sensor
- [Wave_radar|Ice and wave radar]]
- Long wave infrared radiation sensors (port and starboard)
- Photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) sensors (port and starboard)
- Relative humidity (port and starboard)
- Sea surface skin temperature
- Solar (short wave) radiation sensors (port and starboard)
- UV biometer (port and starboard)
- UV radiation sensors (port and starboard)
- Wind speed and direction sensors (port, starboard and foremast)
- X-band weather radar
Seawater
- Acidity (pH)
- Conductivity, temperature and salinity (thermosalinograph)
- CO2 concentrations in seawater and air
- Fast rate repetition fluorometer (FRRF) with flow through chamber
- Laser optical particle counter
- Optical dissolved O2 sensor
- Seawater inlet temperature
- System pressure
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
- A frame
- Moon pool
- Multi beam echo sounder
- Science winch
- Sub bottom profiler
- Sound velocity profiler
References
- "DAMEN SCHELDE 417 (9797060)". Sea-web. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- "Icebreaker Keel Laying – Australian Antarctic Division". Knud E Hansen. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- "Damen performs float-out of Australian icebreaker". Damen. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- Australia's Icebreaker Taking Shape. Maritime Executive, 17 March 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
- NUYINA. Knud E. Hansen. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- Icebreaker specifications. Australian Antarctic Division. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- Boaty McBoatface: Australia sees the light on naming new icebreaker after southern aurora, ABC News, 2017-09-29
- Australian Icebreaker Operated by DMS Maritime to be Constructed by Damen, Damen Group media release, 2016-05-06
- Keel-Laying of Australia's new icebreaker laid, Knud E. Hansen media release, 2017-08-25
- "Damen performs float-out of Australian icebreaker". Damen Shipyards Group. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- Breaker News Completion Ships Monthly October 2020 page 7
- RSV Nuyina embarks on sea trials Australian Antarctic Division 24 November 2020