Australia's Antarctic icebreaker RSV Nuyina 'makes contact with ocean floor' near remote Heard Island
In short:
The national icebreaker's hull has scraped the ocean floor in an incident off the coast of Heard Island, 4,100 kilometres south-west of Perth, on Monday.
The Australian Antarctic Division said no-one was injured, and that there are no ongoing safety risks.
What's next?
The ship's private operator, Serco, says an initial assessment of the hull shows the damage to be "superficial".
Australia's icebreaker has been involved in an incident in which the ship's hull "made contact with the ocean floor" off the coast of Heard Island in the Southern Ocean.
The incident occurred on Monday morning, several days after the RSV Nuyina reached the remote Australian territory, 4,100 kilometres south-west of Perth, on its first voyage of the Antarctic season.
In a statement, the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) said there were no injuries and no ongoing risk to the safety of the 99 expeditioners and 40 crew on board the vessel.
"The crew of RSV Nuyina are conducting an assessment after the ship made contact with the ocean floor off the coast of Heard Island [yesterday] afternoon … during sea floor mapping activities," it said.
"Expeditioners on board Nuyina felt a small vibration through the ship when the contact occurred.
"The ship has moved into deep waters off Heard Island, and the crew are now conducting an assessment of RSV Nuyina to determine if there has been any damage to Nuyina's hull or underwater scientific equipment."
Heard Island appears in the distance behind the swell of the Southern Ocean. (Supplied: Pete Harmsen)
The AAD said it was working with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) as part of the assessment and response.
"The safety of the expeditioners and crew remains the highest priority and all operational activity has paused while the assessment is underway."
In a statement, AMSA said it was aware of the incident.
"AMSA is currently making enquiries and working closely with the Australian Antarctic Division."
RSV Nuyina in the North Sea. (Australian Antarctic Division/Flying Focus)
The Nuyina's private operator, Serco, said the ship did not run aground or become stuck at any point.
"The vessel's movement and navigation remained unaffected, and only minor vibration was felt on board," it said in a statement.
"As a vessel featuring state-of-the-art design and protections, with Polar Class 3 icebreaking capabilities, initial assessments indicate the damage is superficial and the vessel is safe to continue delivering on its mission of enabling voyage objectives.
"Additional thorough, internal inspections are ongoing to ensure this, as well as shore-side consultation with experts and AMSA.
"The event, which occurred during sea floor mapping activities, highlights that the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve is a dynamic, evolving ecosystem where scientific research and mapping activities are of significant value."
Scientific research planned for Heard Island mission
The Nuyina left Hobart in late September on what was expected to be a voyage lasting 52 days.
It first headed to the Antarctic continent to allow expeditioners to fly by helicopter to Casey Station, before making its way to Heard Island.
It was expected to spend 10 days off the coast of Heard Island, before journeying back to the southern continent to resupply Davis Station, and then return to Hobart.
While at Heard Island, teams were planning to conduct a range of marine and land-based science activities.
King penguins on Heard Island. (CSIRO: Matt Curnock)
A glacier on Heard Island tucked between cliffs. (Supplied: Pete Harmsen)
This included monitoring for signs of bird flu, conducting surveys of seabirds and seals, and researching the impact of climate change on the island's glaciers.
Heard Island is home to one of the tallest mountains in Australia's external territories — a 2,745-metre-high active volcano called Big Ben, which is 517 metres taller than Mt Kosciuszko on the mainland.
Big Ben, volcanic peak on Heard Island, in Australia's Antarctic territory, photo by CSIRO's Pete Harmsen. (CSIRO: Pete Harmsen)
The current voyage is the first of two to Heard Island this year, after the federal government allocated $17.6 million for missions involving marine and environmental science over the past two years.
The $528-million ice breaker Nuyina has faced several logistical and operational challenges since it came into service in late 2021.
These have included a costly refuelling issue after it was barred from going under Hobart's Tasman Bridge, as well as mechanical problems and faulty cranes that impacted resupply missions.