HMS Protector (A173)

HMS Protector is a Royal Navy ice patrol ship built in Norway in 2001. As MV Polarbjørn (Norwegian: polar bear) she operated under charter as a polar research icebreaker and a subsea support vessel. In 2011, she was chartered as a temporary replacement for the ice patrol ship, HMS Endurance (A171) and was purchased outright by the British Ministry of Defence in September 2013.

History
Polarbjørn was designed and built for long Antarctic expeditions and for supporting subsea work.

From April 2011, she was chartered to the Royal Navy for three years as a temporary replacement for the ice patrol ship, HMS Endurance (A171), and was renamed HMS Protector. In September 2013, she was purchased outright by the British Ministry of Defence.

Layout
Polarbjørn was equipped to DP2 class and had accommodation for 100. Large cargo holds and open deck areas provide storage capacity for ROVs and related equipment. A 50-ton knuckle-boom crane and the 25-ton stern A-frame allow equipment to be deployed over the side and over the stern.

Prior to the Royal Navy charter, she underwent a ten day refit in Odense, Denmark. The helipad, originally above her bridge, was repositioned over the stern and a multi-beam echo sounder for survey work was installed. Her engines and gearboxes were overhauled and she was modified to allow the carriage of the ancillary vessels and vehicles (survey boats, all-terrain vehicles) used in support of the British Antarctic Survey.



Service
Polarbjørn worked in the "spot" market, on short-term charter. During 2009, the vessel was chartered for electromagnetic survey work in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea. She was exposed to a downturn in business during 2010, with only a 33% utilisation.

She was commissioned into the Navy on 23 June 2011 as HMS Protector. She underwent a brief refit to ready her for her role within the Royal Navy. During September 2011, Protector embarked on operational sea training in preparation for her first deployment in November.

In February 2012, after receiving a distress call from a Brazilian Antarctic research station on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, Protector sailed to provide assistance after a large fire had broken out at the facility. 23 of her sailors were put ashore with fire-fighting equipment to tackle the large blaze. Two of the researchers died in the incident.

During March and April 2012, the ship operated in the vicinity of Rothera. During a major visit, she delivered around 170 cubic metres of aviation fuel. At 67° 34’S, this is the most southerly visit of her career to date, nearly 800 miles from Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of the South America. The crew competed in a ‘winter Olympics’ with scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. It is expected that she will visit Rothera regularly as part of her duties in this region.

Namesake
An earlier icebreaker Polarbjørn was bought by Greenpeace in 1995 and renamed MV Arctic Sunrise.