RSS Sir David Attenborough stops off in Portsmouth

The £200m RRS Sir David Attenborough is described as a floating polar research laboratory

A £200m vessel the public once voted to name Boaty McBoatface has stopped off in Portsmouth ahead of a six-month expedition to Antarctica.

The RRS Sir David Attenborough will next make a three-week voyage to the Falkland Islands where supplies will be collected before it heads south.

It is due to arrive at Rothera Research Station in Antarctica by Christmas.

On board the floating polar research laboratory is a 30-strong crew with up to 60 scientists and support staff.

They will examine the threat of future sea-level rises and dangers for marine biodiversity.

The RRS Sir David Attenborough will be testing a new artificial intelligence system that will help chart the most environmentally friendly route at any given time

Ahead of its departure, Professor Dame Jane Francis, director of British Antarctic Survey which operates the ship, said scientists were investigating tipping points "where the earth goes into irreversible change" such as the west Antarctic ice sheet.

She said: "If that ice sheet does melt, it holds about three to five metres of global sea level rise, so what happens in Antarctica won't just stay in Antarctica, it will affect us all."

She added: "Global sea level is rising quite consistently now, it's about 3mm to 4mm per year, which doesn't sound much but that will inundate quite a lot of coastlines around the world."

The RRS Sir David Attenborough will use an artificial intelligence system that will recommend the fastest and most fuel-efficient routes between locations, taking into account sea ice, ocean dynamics and weather.

The Boaty McBoatface name had topped a public poll, but the Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey opted to name its ship in honour of the veteran BBC wildlife presenter.

Prof Francis said: "It did bring attention to the ship... but I think the decision to call it Sir David Attenborough was absolutely perfect and it's a great honour to have a ship with his name on it."