The Australian Government has signed a contract for Australia’s new icebreaker, amounting to a $1.912 billion investment, with the custom built ship due to arrive in Australia in mid-2020.

The contract signing follows yesterday’s release of the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan by the Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt MP.

The total investment is over $1.912 billion, with $529 million being invested in the capital cost of the icebreaker, and $1.38 billion to be spent on operations and maintenance over its 30 year lifespan.

More than $1.1 billion (around 80 per cent) of the operations and maintenance spend will be in Australia, with the majority expected in Tasmania.

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