Ship will contribute to Brazilian research on the frozen continent
By First-Lieutenant (T) Paulo Yan Carlôto de Souza – Brasília, DF
An important step was taken towards the completion of the Antarctic Support Vessel (NApAnt) project with the establishment, on September 12, of the starting date for the execution of the contract. With this, the ship’s delivery deadline – 36 months – is now set for September, 2025. The new ship will replace and carry out the same missions as the Oceanographic Support Ship “Ary Rongel”, but with improved capabilities to support the new Antarctic Station Comandante Ferraz (EACF).
The contract for the acquisition of the NApAnt, to be built in Brazil, was signed with POLAR 1 Construção Naval SPE Ltda on June 13. The new ship project aims to provide the Brazilian Navy (MB) with a modern and adequate means to fulfill missions on the Antarctic Continent, especially logistical support to the EACF. The NApAnt will be built at the Jurong-Aracruz Shipyard, located in Aracruz (ES).
The Managing Director of the Naval Projects Management Company, Vice Admiral Edesio Teixeira Lima Junior, points out that “among the benefits resulting from the construction of the new ship are the creation of about 600 direct jobs and six thousand indirect jobs, as well as the consequent promotion of the naval industry and the national technological base, through business opportunities that can already be perceived by the interest and movement of companies from our Defense Industrial Base.
Specifications of the NApAnt
The ship will be 93.9 meters long, 18.5 meters wide (molded breadth), with a six-meter draft and 70-day autonomy. With diesel-electric propulsion, it will be able to accommodate a crew of 92 people, including 25 researchers.
The contract foresees the construction, in Brazilian territory, of a ship capable of operating during summer and fall in the Antarctic Continent and with the capacity to navigate in places of more recent ice formation. For this, the ship needs a hull in a specific shape and a reinforced belt of special steel just below its waterline.
Source: Marine News Agency *** Translated by the DEFCONPress FYI Team ***