Australia’s $528m icebreaking research vessel has suffered another setback and will not resupply the remote Macquarie Island station in coming months as initially planned, with a chartered vessel taking its place.
The Romanian-built ship, RSV Nuyina, significantly enhances Australia’s climate research capabilities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean but has endured numerous problems since its delivery in 2021, which itself was delayed by close to a year due to the pandemic.