Xinhua news agency, London, October 17 Xinhua (reporter Zhang Jiawei) the British Antarctic survey at 17 announced that the country's new generation polar expedition ship has officially started construction. The ship is equipped with advanced scientific instruments and unmanned submersible vehicle expedition ship, and is also an important part of the British government since the last century since 80s the largest single polar research infrastructure investment projects.  

A total length of 128 meters of the polar expedition ship, named after the famous British science documentary presenter David Attenborough's name, the day held a ceremony in a keel placed Liverpool shipyard. According to the plan, this research ship will enter service in 2019, when the ship can carry 30 crew members and 60 scientists and other staff.  

The ship will be at the specific management and operation by the British Antarctic expedition, the ship has ample space for the corresponding scientific equipment, equipped with long-range unmanned submersible vehicles, and a deck for helicopter landing. This would make it a comprehensive research platform for scientists to conduct multidisciplinary polar expedition tasks. Especially the unmanned diving vehicle, oceanographers can observe and collect samples in the deep sea using the advanced equipment, so as to better carry out the related research.  

According to the Antarctic expedition at the introduction, with the future of this research ship, researchers will be able to further both the Arctic and Antarctic expedition, to study the change of marine environment, biodiversity and climate occur.  

Antarctic department director Jan Francis said that the British government has decided to invest 200 million pounds to build the new ship expedition ship and a series of auxiliary infrastructure, to enhance the British polar expedition strength, it will also give the implementation of Antarctic Science Project brings great changes.