Hostile conditions call for the reliability of Mariner

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has a long and distinguished history of carrying out research and surveys in the Antarctic and surrounding regions, undertaking most of the British research on the frozen continent.

Their requirements are very specific when it comes to specifying the choice of RIB and engine for their important work in such extreme conditions, which is why they rely on the support of Humber RIBs. Humber has a wealth of experience in the supply of RIB’s to commercial survey organisations and universities.

Rob White, Senior Marine Engineer for BAS explains the considerations when choosing a suitable engine. “We have two main issues with engines for the boats that we use; the first being able to start them in cold climates and the second is to reduce emissions whilst operating south of 60 degrees in the Antarctic territories.”

“The choice between a cleaner 4-stroke and an easier starting 2-stroke has to be weighed up. Our boating operations below 60 degrees, within the Antarctic territories, are less frequent, and the risks of a non-starting boat could be quite severe in such hostile areas. Consequently, we have chosen the 2-stroke over the 4-stroke engine. The size of the engine is a compromise between having enough power to operate in and around the island bases, where kelp beds can be quite large, and being able to manhandle engines on and off boats whilst on deck. The evolution over a 25-year period and the importance of reliability has led the ships to choose Mariner 40hp, 2-stroke engines, which also have the advantage of being lighter than a 4-stroke of the same size.”

The RIBs transport passengers or cargo to island bases that have no other means of access and the inflatable boats are used for deploying science parties on islands around Antarctica that are uninhabited. The Humber inflatable boats have evolved in design to the present day with additional strengthening and support to enable the operations in these extreme conditions.