Antarctic News

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew departed the Antarctic region Tuesday after 65 days south of the Antarctic Circle in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2025.Operation Deep Freeze is an annual event, led by the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) in conjunction with the Department of Defense, to support the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The USAP advances the nation’s goals to support the Antarctic Treaty, fosters cooperative research with other nations, protects Antarctic resources…

After a year of preparing the ship and crew, Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor (too) has completed its first science expedition to Antarctica. The three-week expedition, which ended in early January, was ambitious in its science scope and required operational refinements to navigate safely in unfamiliar environmental conditions.“Operating our ship in the Southern Ocean marks a significant milestone in Schmidt Ocean Institute’s history,” said Eric King, senior director of maritime infrastructure.

It’s late in the season so Captain Duke Snider, sailing on a resupply voyage from New Zealand to Antarctica, is expecting virtually no sea, just glacial ice.Snider has been an ice navigator for decades, and he has seen the ocean change, not just here in the polar south, but in Arctic waters as well.“Variability is much greater than in the past when we could expect an ice breakup to occur within a calendar week, year after year, whether it was the Arctic or the Antarctic,” he says.

The Coast Guard gets its first new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years.The Coast Guard has accepted its first new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years, but it’s not really new. The 12,900-ton, 360-foot Anchor Handling Tug Support Ship (AHTS) Aiviq was acquired by the Coast Guard and renamed USCGC Storis (WAGB 21).According to a Coast Guard statement, “On Nov. 20, the Coast Guard purchased the M/V Aiviq, a 360-foot U.S.-built polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker for $125 million in a deal with Offshore Surface Vessels LLC.

On January 10, the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Margaret Brooke departed Halifax, Canada, on an historic mission - the first circumnavigation of South America and first visit to Antarctica by a Royal Canadian Navy vessel.As part of Operation PROJECTION – South America, the Harry DeWolf-class Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) will visit ports across South America to strengthen international relationships in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada. While in Antarctica, the ship will support Canadian scientific research…

The Scythian philosopher Anacharsis (6th century B.C.) said: “There are three sorts of people: those who are alive, those who are dead and those who are at sea.”Many of those onboard the Nella Dan when she grounded in December 1987 never went to sea again. Such was their passion for the ship.At that time, most of the crew were single, a wild bunch with saltwater in their veins, likely to be found partying together during their time ashore and likely to be telling everyone how Nella Dan was always the first to get to Antarctica at the start of the season despite her newer…

Denmark released anti-whaling activist Paul Watson from detention on Tuesday and said it had rejected a Japanese request to extradite him over criminal charges dating back more than a decade.U.S.-Canadian Watson, 74, founder of the Sea Shepherd conservationist group and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, was released in Greenland's capital Nuuk, police in the autonomous Danish territory said.Watson was apprehended when his ship docked in Greenland in July."I'm certainly relieved…

The school year at the Ushuaia Merchant Marine Training and Education School for Embarking Personnel (EFOCAPEMM) has concluded, with the graduation of 60 students, in training provided by the Argentine Naval Prefecture.The event was chaired by the School Director, Prefect Cristian Alejandro Sarasua, who was accompanied by National Deputy Carolina Yutrovic, Councilor Dr. Daiana Freiberger and the Secretary of Government of the Municipality of Ushuaia, Dr. César Molina Olguín.The graduates specialized in various disciplines: nurse, sailor, engine assistant, professional motorcyclist captain of the second and third special zones, and special zone sailors.In addition…

As the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew departed Seattle recently for its deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze, all eyes come back around to the U.S. icebreaking fleet, or lack thereof, as the nation and its allies work to help build the fleet to be larger and stronger than ever, facing potential national security threats that come with a strong Russian and Chinese presence in the polar regions.Click here to read about "U.S. Polar Security…

HX (formerly known as Hurtigruten Expeditions) has partnered with the University of Tasmania, Australia, and its Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) on a training program for Antarctic cruise passengers.For the first time, HX’s guests and expedition teams will have the opportunity to explore Antarctic and polar science with world-leading researchers in a university-developed program that blends immersive learning with real-world experiences – with the online course…

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will remain in detention in Greenland while Denmark decides whether to extradite him to Japan, police in the autonomous Danish territory said on Wednesday.The 73-year-old U.S.-Canadian, founder of the Sea Shepherd conservationist group and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, was taken into custody by police when his ship docked at the port of Nuuk on July 21.Watson will remain in detention until Dec. 4, police said in a statement."It is unfortunately as expected…

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will remain in detention in Greenland where he has been held since July while Denmark decides whether to extradite him to Japan, local police said on Wednesday.U.S.-Canadian Watson, 73, founder of the Sea Shepherd conservationist group and of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, was apprehended by police in the Danish autonomous region when his ship docked at the port of Nuuk on July 21."We continue to fight for the case to be concluded," his lawyer Jonas Christoffersen told Reuters…

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, detained in Greenland and awaiting possible extradition to Japan, has appealed to President Emmanuel Macron for political asylum in France his Captain Paul Watson Foundation said on Wednesday.US.-Canadian Watson, 73, founder of the Sea Shepherd conservationist group, was stopped by police when his ship docked at the port of Nuuk in Greenland on July 21.He has since been detained in Greenland, a Danish autonomous region, while Denmark decides whether to extradite him to Japan.Japan issued an international warrant for his arrest more than a decade ago…

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will remain in detention in the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland where he has been held since July, while Denmark decides whether to extradite him to Japan, a local court ruled on Wednesday.U.S.-Canadian Watson, 73, founder of the Sea Shepherd conservationist group and of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, was apprehended by police when his ship docked at the port of Nuuk on July 21.Watson will remain in detention until Oct.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) has returned to Seattle following an onboard fire that occurred during a scientific research expedition in the Arctic Ocean. The incident took place on July 25, 2024, while the vessel was navigating near Banks Island in the Northwest Territories of Canada.The fire, which broke out in an electrical transformer affecting one of the ship’s two main propulsion motors, was quickly extinguished by the crew. No injuries were reported. Following the incident, the crew and contractors worked to restore power to the affected motor.

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will remain in detention in Greenland after he was arrested in the Danish autonomous territory last month, while Denmark decides whether to extradite him to Japan, a local court ruled on Thursday.U.S.-Canadian Watson, 73, founder of the Sea Shepherd conservationist group and of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, was apprehended by police when his ship docked at the port of Nuuk on July 21.Watson will remain in detention until Sept.

Japan is seeking the extradition of a U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling activist, who has been held in custody in Greenland since July 21, Danish and Japanese authorities said on Thursday.Denmark has previously said Japan was seeking Paul Watson - founder of the Sea Shepherd activist group and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation - on charges of breaking into a Japanese vessel in the Antarctic Ocean in 2010, obstructing the boat's business and causing injury as well as property damage.Watson…

The operator of Japan's first domestically-built whaling mothership in more than seven decades said on Thursday it had no plans to send the whaler to the Antarctic Ocean, although the new vessel is capable of reaching the region.The 7.5 billion yen ($48 million) Kangei Maru, whose construction was completed less than two months ago, has a cruising range of 7,000 nautical miles."This ship is designed to be able to go to the Antarctic Ocean. But we won't be going to the Antarctic as long as we are engaged in commercial whaling…

ABB has been selected by the Astilleros y Servicios Navales S.A. (ASENAV) shipyard based in Chile to provide a power and propulsion system for Antarctica21’s newbuild boutique expedition ship Magellan Discoverer. Due for delivery in 2026, the vessel is the first hybrid-electric polar cruise ship featuring Azipod propulsion to be built in the Americas. Accommodating up to 96 passengers and 67 crew members, the vessel will be operating in the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and…

India's ship certification agency has withdrawn safety cover issued to Russian oil tankers that have been placed under U.S. sanctions, according to its website, with the vessels instead turning to a domestic provider.Major insurers and ship engine makers have already  withdrawn cover for Russia's tanker fleet, which Moscow is relying on to maintain the country's oil trade after Washington and its allies including the European Union imposed a raft of sanctions for its invasion…

Finnish companies have designed about 80 percent of the world’s icebreakers, and about 60 percent of them have been built by Finnish shipyards.Finland is home to a strong and vibrant maritime cluster, with a mix of large, medium and small shipyards, as well as a deep pool of marine engineering expertise and a broad network of vessel equipment suppliers.As one of the world’s northernmost countries, Finland is also home to a fleet of icebreakers that keep imports and exports flowing through its harbors, even during the coldest winter months.

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), announced it has been awarded a purchase order to provide motor-operated valves (MOVs) through Hunt Valve for the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Polar Sentinel (WMSP-21). The cutter is the first of three multi-mission vessels that will comprise the Polar Security Cutter program, which is intended to supplement the USCG’s missions in the Arctic as well as Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic.“Every ship has a crucial role to play in advancing American interests at sea…

Scientists aboard Britain's high-tech polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough are headed to the Weddell Sea to investigate how carbon dioxide moves and transforms in the Southern Ocean.The ship departed Tuesday from Punta Arenas, Chile for the 30-day scientific expedition.As the carbon in the seawater rises to the surface near Antarctica, it interacts with the atmosphere, ice, and microscopic plants and animals, called phytoplankton and zooplankton, near the ocean surface, before descending to the ocean depths.