The Ministry of Defence is spending £26m renting a ship from Norway which will be used by the Royal Navy, it has confirmed.
The HMS Protector will be crewed by 76 Royal Navy personnel
The ice-breaker MV Polarbjorn will be renamed the HMS Protector when it is commissioned into the Navy on June 23. News of the three-year contract emerged as the service undergoes a round of cuts - including the loss of aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, Harrier jump-jets, and 5,000 jobs.
The ship will patrol the waters around the Falkland Islands and South Atlantic and take on the Navy's Antarctic mission. The ship has undergone a refit involving the repositioning of the flight deck from the bridge roof to the stern.
There has also been the installation of a multi-beam echo sounder survey system, an overhaul of the main engines and gearboxes and the addition of naval insignia.
An MoD spokeswoman said: "HMS Protector offers a highly capable and value-for-money solution to fulfil the important ice patrol ship capability while a decision is made on the future of HMS Endurance."
The loan will be for an initial period of three years while the MoD considers whether to repair or replace HMS Endurance, which suffered major flooding off Chile in 2008.
