and here’s the company’s PR: http://www.clbh.co.uk/new-contracts/merseyside-beats-global-competition-build-200m-polar-research-ship
Birkenhead company set to build cutting edge arctic vessel[SIZE=2]
[/SIZE]Minister of State for Universities and Science, Jo Johnson announced today that the preferred bidder to build a new polar research vessel is Birkenhead based ship builders Cammell Laird.
Over the coming weeks detailed discussions with Cammell Laird will be held and, pending a successful outcome of these discussions, the contract will be placed in November with delivery of the ship is expected in 2018.
The £200 million pound vessel will be a massive boost to the local economy with a potential to create jobs and investment.
The new ice-strengthened ship will be operated by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), on behalf of NERC, and will provide a state-of-the-art platform for collaborative research programmes involving UK and overseas partners.
According to the British Arctic Survey it will be a multi-purpose vessel for multi-disciplinary research cruises in Antarctica and in the Arctic, and will provide logistical support for land-based polar science.
This new ship will be a tremendous asset to the UK polar science community.
BAS science and operational teams have been working closely with research colleagues from Britain’s leading universities and institutes to help create the design brief for a world-leading science facility. We very much look forward to seeing our ideas becoming a reality.
Crucially, the ship will have the capability to deploy advanced robotic technologies being developed currently in the UK. These will allow us to capture new ocean and ice data from places that would otherwise be inaccessible.
This is a very exciting time for BAS and for UK polar science.
[SIZE=1]– PROFESSOR JANE FRANCIS DIRECTOR OF BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY
Birkenhead company set to build cutting edge arctic vessel | ITV News Granada
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