The Australian Antarctic mission has awarded Serco with a £160m contract to design, build and operate a new icebreaker research and supply vessel.

The contract has been signed for fourteen years. The project will start with a four-year “design and build” phase which will be followed by a 10-year operation and maintenance phase – the last phase can be extended by five years.

The new vessel will supply the Antarctic research stations with equipment, cargo, personnel and carry out research from its facilities on board – with capacity for 34 crew members and 116 scientists.

Mark Irwin, Serco’s Asia Pacific CEO, said “this project plays a vital role in supporting Australian and global Antarctic scientific programmes”. The new contract will expand Serco’s presence in the area, strengthening Serco’s expertise in project management and end-to-end vessel support.

For weekly news updates, subscribe to our email newsletter

Related: Serco enters bid for £1bn Australian government detention facility