The U.K. government has selected the domestic shipbuilder Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, as the preferred bidder to build a GBP 200 million (USD 307.2m) polar research ship.
The decision follows a 12-month competitive tender process that involved bids from companies in the U.K., Europe and the Far East.
The shipyard is expected to cut steel in autumn 2016 and deliver the polar research vessel ready for operation by 2019.
The new polar research ship, which will be operated by British Antarctic Survey and deployed in both Antarctica and the Arctic, will be able to endure up to 60 days in sea-ice to enable scientists to gather more observations and data.
The ship will be the first British-built polar research vessel with a heli-deck to open up new locations for science. Robotic submarines and marine gliders will collect data on ocean conditions and marine biology and deliver it to scientists working in the ship’s on-board laboratories.
Airborne robots and on-board environmental monitoring systems will provide detailed information on the surrounding polar environment.
Funding for the new polar research ship was announced in April 2014 as part of the U.K. government’s science capital programme. Cammell Laird has been selected by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through a full competitive procurement process.
”The new contract, which will be finalised later this year, is expected to secure 400 jobs at Cammell Laird and a further 100 jobs within the local supply chain,” Cammell Laird Chief Executive John Syvret said.
”Cammell Laird has a very successful apprenticeship scheme and would plan to recruit 60 apprentices throughout the term of the contract. Being selected as the preferred bidder in a global tender to undertake such an exciting and major infrastructure project is fantastic news for our workforce, the local region and the UK. We look forward to helping the UK explore the depths of the ocean and push the boundaries of UK science.”
Image: British Antarctic Survey