Thursday 12 July 2018

A major milestone in the build of the UK’s state-of-the-art polar research ship is reached this weekend [Saturday 14 July 2018], when the 129-metre long, 10,000 tonne hull of the RRS Sir David Attenborough is launched into the River Mersey for the first time.

Once in the river, tugs will tow hull number 1390 to Cammell Laird’s wet basin for the next stages of construction. The polar research ship is scheduled to come into operation in 2019.

Shipyard workers, engineers, scientists and maritime industry experts will gather with special guest speakers, including world-renowned broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, to celebrate this remarkable engineering achievement.

Viewing vantage points, from promenades at Liverpool’s Albert Dock and Otterspool Park, provide opportunities for members of the public to join the celebration. The launch will be live-streamed from 11.00am on the BAS website: www.bas.ac.uk/live with the ‘Splashdown’ at 12.20pm.

Commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (part of UK Research and Innovation), built by Cammell Laird and operated by British Antarctic Survey, this is the largest civilian ship to be built in the UK for 30 years.

The new research ship is part of a Government polar infrastructure investment programme designed to keep Britain at the forefront of world-leading research in Antarctica and the Arctic. Launched in the summer of the Year of Engineering, this commitment represents the UK Government‘s largest investment in polar science since the 1980s.