MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
UK's Cammell Laird will build BAS new £200 million polar research ship
The Birkenhead shipyard Cammell Laird said it saw off competition from Europe and beyond including Korea and Singapore to be selected as the preferred bidder to build a new vessel for the UK-funded Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The contract was signed last week and it is expected that full production will start in June next year, and on completion the vessel will be operated by NERC’s British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesAnd may this be the first of many more British built ships to sail the oceans,
Nov 26th, 2015 - 08:30 pm - Link - Report abuse +1British at its best.
How very unlike Argentina, which has no vessel -- or even aircraft now - capable of supplying its squatter colony in the British Antarctic territory. The rustbucket Argentine Navy vessels are rolling over at their piers and sinking and their antediluvian submarine can only spend a few minutes submerged.
Nov 26th, 2015 - 09:12 pm - Link - Report abuse +1@2 ' their antediluvian submarine can only spend a few minutes submerged.'
Nov 26th, 2015 - 11:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0With that cutting edge RG technology it can stay submerged indefinitely...that's what worries them......
@3 you are right --- I should have been more specific about that underwater performance. That submarine, the ARA San Juan, was put back in the water but it has severe operational limitations, both in terms of its mechanical condition and the training of the crews.
Nov 27th, 2015 - 12:36 am - Link - Report abuse 0Which reminds me --- even though the Argentine navy is quite without fully operational vessels, it seems they have ordered some old Russian ships to be delivered next month, including one that has been described as suitable for rescue and salvage of “submarinos hundidos” --- sunken subs. Naturally they named one these old craft for the mythical “Malvinas. ”
The last Argentine ships capable or semi-capable of supply to Antarctica were the ARA Irízar and the ARA Bahía Paraíso. Neither are with us anymore. The Bahía Paraíso sank in Antarctica while transporting some tourists and everybody had to be rescued by a Spanish Navy ship. And naturally the argentos left a huge oil spill that they never cleaned up. CFK kept promising that the Irízar would any day now be ready sail off to Antarctica but they just keep pouring time and money into it and it's not capable of anything of the sort. Anyway right now Argentina has had to contract with the Russians again - again ! - for a ship that can supply their little squatter base in the British Antarctic territory. I think the Russians are charging them US$18 million this year, dollars that of course aren't there to pay for that contract.
@4
Nov 27th, 2015 - 10:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0Very interesting information. I can remember the days when the Argentine Navy was a very respectable outfit!
Per a un català que el seu anglès és extraordinàriament bo - M'agradaria que el meu català era tan bo com el seu anglès.
Perhaps david will offer our old type 23s when we replace them,
Nov 27th, 2015 - 11:15 am - Link - Report abuse 0anything to help out an old friend..
@ 6 Briton
Nov 27th, 2015 - 01:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Complete with 'free' extras such as 5 tonnes of TORPEX packed near the keels with a button on the bridge labelled (in Jibber-jabber of course) “press once when ship is underway in International Waters”.
That should give them some practice in raising wrecks.
@5 Gordito, els catalans són capaços de qualsevol cosa. Els argentos, no tant. Però sempre hi ha esperança.
Nov 27th, 2015 - 01:56 pm - Link - Report abuse 0una abraçada -
@8
Nov 27th, 2015 - 06:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0¿Serà per la influència gallec?
Wrecks is all they can afford...lol
Nov 28th, 2015 - 08:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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