Aurora Australis (icebreaker)
The Aurora Australis in the home port of Hobart
Lloyd 's Register of Shipping
IMO no. 8717283
The Aurora Australis (Latin and English: " aurora in the southern hemisphere ") is an icebreaker that is as scientific research base for the Australian Antarctic Division in use. It was classified 1A Super approved by Lloyd 's Register of Shipping on the ice class and is able to drive through ice up to a thickness of 1.23 meters. The Aurora Australis is also used as a supply ship for the space occupied by Australia Antarctic Territory. For good visibility, she was provided with a painting in bright orange. The ship can accommodate three helicopters and perform biological, oceanographic and meteorological observations and experiments. On board there is room for 133 people, including the crew.
History
The ship was commissioned on 23 December 1987 and designed by Wärtsilä Marine Industries in Finland. The keel was laid as hull number 207 was on 28 October 1988 at the shipyard Carrington Slipways in Newcastle (New South Wales). The Aurora Australis was put into service in March 1990 and was initially P & O Polar Australia. In 2003, the transfer of P & O Maritime Services took place. The ship is chartered to the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD ).
Incidents
On a trip to Macquarie broke in the early morning of July 22, 1998, approximately 1,300 nautical miles south of Tasmania, a fire in the engine room, which could be deleted. The ship was able to continue his journey back to Hobart on July 24 with a motor and reached the port of destination on the 31st of the month.
In December 1998, the Aurora Australis was due to a propeller damage in the ice stuck and was towed free by the Japanese icebreaker Shirase.
Rescue attempt by the Akademik Shokalskiy
The Akademik Shokalskiy, a Russian expedition cruise ship with 74 people on board, was included in the Christmas holidays in 2013 in the Commonwealth Bay in the ice. The Chinese icebreaker Xue Long tried to free the Akademik Shokalskiy from the ice, but had on December 28th in only six and a half miles to abort the rescue attempt, because the ice was too thick distance from the Akademik Shokalskiy for security reasons. After the failed rescue attempt of Xue Long in the meantime also arrived on site Aurora Australis attempted to free the Akademik Shokalskiy from the ice. When she was approached to within 18 km of the Akademik Shokalskiy, but they also had to cancel their rescue attempt, since due to a snow storm to continue the journey would have been too dangerous. But you took the 52 passengers of the Akademik Shokalskiy. This Ka -32 helicopters aboard the Xue Long were ferried to Aurora Australis from the Kamov.
Machinery and drive
The Aurora Australis is equipped with a 12-cylinder and 16- cylinder diesel engine of the type Wärtsilä 32, acting on a variable pitch propeller via reduction gearbox and a hydraulic clutch. As a maneuvering aid serves a bow thruster and two retractable propeller nacelles in the rear.
Besides the two main engines, two six-cylinder and four-cylinder diesel engine of the type Wärtsilä 22 are installed. The ship has a range of about 90,000 nautical miles, the economic fuel consumption is 18 tons per day.