Polish yard to build icebreaker

The French yard Piriou, commissioned to build a new icebreaking logistics ship for the French government has contracted Poland’s Crist yard to build the ice-strengthened 72m by 16m hull of the vessel which is expected to weigh about 1,850 tons when delivered.

The finished ship will have the ability to support two helicopters and will be used to transport containerized cargo between Hobart, Tasmania and the French polar station Dumont d’Urville in Antarctica.

It will also operate as a naval patrol craft in the Antarctic region where it will replace the 47-year-old patrol vessel L’Albatros and the 30-year-old icebreaker L’Astrolabe, the name of which it will assume. JS