The Polar Flagship, the Sir David Attenborough, will be leaving Plymouth this afternoon and getting ready for its 6,000-mile voyage to South America and onwards to Antarctica.
The ship will be using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a biofuel, that will help in reducing the vessel’s carbon footprint.
The new season for the Sir David Attenborough will include a full schedule of explorations across Antarctica and sub-Antarctica over the next seven months.
Researchers and operational teams will deliver more than 60 science projects across five British Antarctic Survey research stations and at several deep field and marine locations.
This year’s research programme will showcase a range of climate, ocean, glaciological and ecological research – including major international collaborations, advanced autonomous technology trials and a collection of long-term environmental data and observations.
Westward Shipping News was invited at the quayside inside Devonport Dockyard to take pictures of the impressive Sir David Attenborough before it departs this afternoon.
Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director of the British Antarctic Survey, said: “With the 2025/26 season underway, research supporting BAS’ long-term scientific strategy, Polar Science for a Sustainable Planet, continues.
“Recent news of global climate tipping points and extreme weather reinforces that research to understand the changing Antarctic is more vital than ever. Whether through modelling, monitoring or fieldwork, our science is central to understanding how this region is changing and how this new knowledge will ensure more resilient communities in the UK and across the world,” she said.
