The Australian Postal Service has issued four new stamps that have postage values of 50 cents, $1.00 and $1.45 named "Antarctic Ships" on the 15th of April 2003. Two of the 50 cents stamps make up a se-tenant pair as shown above. These cool stamps mark the 50th anniversary of the Kista Dan - the first of four 'Dan' ships built by the Danish firm J Lauritzen for Arctic and Antarctic exploration and research. The commemorative issue of stamps is as follows:

• Kista Dan (1953-57) (Top Left)- is shown forging through the big seas of the Southern Ocean on its way south
• Magga Dan (1959-61) (Top Right) - reaching the pack ice on its way south.
• Thala Dan (1957-82)(Bottom Left)- among icebergs traveling south.
• Nella Dan (1962-87) (Bottom Right)- anchored in the Antarctic

The Antarctic stamps can be purchased as a Single mint set, Stamp Pack, First day cover, Set of Gutter strips or by single gutter strips. Sheet layout will be two panes of 25 or 50 stamps per sheet. Stamp sizes measure 37.5 mm x 26.0 mm and 26.0 mm x 37.5 mm with perforation sizes of 13.86 x 14.6 and 14.6 x 13.86 respectively. The stamps will be printed by SNP Sprint Printing using the Lithography printing process with De La Rue paper.