RRS Sir David Attenborough completes ice trials

RRS Sir David Attenborough has completed ice trials during its maiden voyage to Antarctica – this is a critical milestone in the commissioning of Britain’s new polar ship. This is the first in a series of trials to get the ship ready for multi-disciplinary science missions.

The purpose of ice trials is to test the ship’s capability and performance in ice. The team tested the ship’s capability over 10 days in January. They tested the ship through ice at different power levels and speeds, and performed a range of manoeuvres such as reversing and turning.

The team enlisted the help of satellites to locate suitable areas of ice for the trials. They also took samples of the ice to find out more about its properties and compare this to the ship’s performance.

Ralph Stevens, Captain of RRS Sir David Attenborough says:

”The thing that surprised us the most was how comfortable the ship was while breaking through the sea ice. The bow breaks the ice in a completely different way to our previous vessels, and is much quieter than expected.”

Видео RRS Sir David Attenborough completes ice trials канала British Antarctic Survey