Icebreaker on government agenda
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has crunched the numbers and will push ahead with plans for a new Antarctic icebreaker ship.
First announced in May, the specialist vessel should be operational by 2019, after Mr Abbott announced on Thursday the government was in tender negotiations with two companies for the project.
"It's an important part of our economic security, it's an important part of our national security," the prime minister said of the new vessel, which will be based in Hobart.
It will replace the familiar orange but ageing Aurora Australis, a privately owned vessel regularly chartered by the Australian government for missions to Antarctica.
The new ship will boast higher specifications than its predecessor, including the ability to travel at a speed of three knots through ice depths up to 1.65 metres.
It will be used for deep-sea research in the Southern Ocean, sea-ice experiments and also deliver critical fuel and cargo to Australian stations in Antarctica.
The icebreaker would put Australia at the forefront of Antarctic operations, Mr Abbott said.
He made the announcement during a visit to Hobart where he outlined Commonwealth funding commitments to the troubled island state.
