Captain Scott Laughlin and Captain Paul Clarke will lead the alternating crews operating Australia’s new icebreaker, the RSV Nuyina. Both Captains come to the role with experienced track records working in the Southern Ocean. Paul Clarke also has extensive experience in the Antarctic, while Paul Clarke started working for the British Antarctic Survey as a deck hand in 1994.
The Australian Royal Navy has deployed its Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (LADS) Flight to Invercargill in New Zealand, to undertake survey operations over Macquarie Island, a 34km long World Heritage listed island that lies approximately halfway between Australia and Antarctica.
Australia’s Antarctic Supply Research Vessel RSV Nuyina was successfully floated at Damen Shipyards Galati. The procedure was achieved by raising the water level in the yard’s dry dock by six metres. The process took two days to complete. It will serve as a fully equipped research laboratory facility for up to 116 scientific staff.
This short video shows the Australian Government’s investment which will form the centrepiece of Australia’s Antarctic presence and influence the shape of Australia’s Antarctic programme for decades to come.
