Off the wire
• Xinhua China news advisory -- Oct. 18  • Chinese shares open lower Tuesday  • China treasury bond futures open mixed Tuesday  • China Hushen 300 index futures open lower Tuesday  • Older Australians exercising more than ever before: statistics  • Ex-Brazil keeper Rogerio eyes coaching role  • Chinese yuan strengthens to 6.7303 against USD Tuesday  • Market exchange rates in China -- Oct. 18  • Australian PM slams trade union "thuggery" in fresh pitch for construction watchdog  • Microscopic TV which films cancer cells can revolutionize treatment: Australian expert  
You are here: 　 Home

Work starts on Britain's polar research ship named after "world's greatest naturalist"

Xinhua, October 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

Work started Monday on what will be the world's most sophisticated polar research ship, named after a man regarded as the world's greatest naturalist.

Backed by 244 million U.S. dollars worth of government investment, the RSS Sir David Attenborough is Britain's largest investment in polar science since the 1980s.

At a ceremony held in the Cammell Laird shipyard on the River Mersey near Liverpool, an audience of 1,000 people watched as Attenborough, 90, laid the keel at the start of the ship building project that will lead to sea trials starting in 2018.

Saying the new vessel was named after a man regarded as a national treasure and a global icon, British Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Jo Johnson hailed Attenborough as "a man whose insatiable curiosity, boundless enthusiasm and countless adventures have inspired generations."

"It may be thoroughly unusual to name a vessel after a person who is alive and well, but I can't think of anyone more deserving of this honor," said the minister at the ceremony.

He said the polar research ship will inspire young and old with its pioneering research missions in the cold of the Antarctic and the Arctic.

Johnson said the research findings gathered will help policymakers to take on some of the world's greatest challenges, such as climate change, rising sea levels and declining marine biodiversity. Like her namesake, this ship will teach people about life on earth.

"Scientists on board will make discoveries that change our understanding of our world. This is important research. The polar regions are the areas where we first see the impact of climate change," he said.

"That's why the work carried out on the RRS Sir David Attenborough is so crucial. When it's fully operational, this ship will enable pioneering research in the Arctic and Antarctic for the next 25 years or more," the minister said.

The new polar research ship, commissioned by Britain's Natural Environment Research Council, will be operated by the British Antarctic Survey in the polar regions. Endi