Damen to Build New Australian Icebreaker

zoomAurora Australis; Image Courtesy: Australian Antarctic Division Damen Schelde, part of Damen Shipyards Group, has won a contract to design and build Australias new, AUD 529 million (USD 403 million) and icebreaker. Australian company DMS Maritime Pty is to project manage the overall ship design and building process, and after that operate and maintain the icebreaker from its home port of Hobart. The Australian government expects that the cost of the entire project will reach AUD 1.9 billion, including the vessels 30-year operations and maintenance costs. The project is said to be the single biggest investment in the history of the Australian Antarctic program. The contract signing follows the recently unveiled Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20-year Action Plan by the Ministry of the Environment. According to the Australian government, the new ship will help further expand Tasmanias role as the gateway to Antarctica. The new icebreaker will be used for the resupply of Australias Antarctic research stations and to lead scientific expeditions, the government said. In addition, the vessel is said to be faster, larger and stronger than the Australian Antarctic programs current icebreaker, Aurora Australis, and offers increased endurance and icebreaking capability. The ship is scheduled for delivery in mid-2020.