Antarctica News

After two weeks of negotiations in Hobart, the 44th annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has closed with little progress toward long-delayed goals to protect the Southern Ocean.Yet a growing group of members are standing strong for the protection of Antarctica, refusing to bow to pressure to expand industrial fishing in one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems.“This year, conservation-minded countries showed that the future of Antarctica cannot be dictated by those who put fishing before protection…

Maritime publishing and digital training group Witherbys has unveiled plans to introduce a new oceanographic research vessel, the MV Sea Ranger, from 2026 to support its technical development, real-world navigational studies and maritime training programs.The MV Sea Ranger will support Witherbys’ mission to enhance maritime knowledge and safety through research directly linked to shipboard operations.It will strengthen the delivery of computer-based training programs, both via Witherbys’ eBook Reader Witherby Connect…

Saildrone Founder and CEO Richard Jenkins shares news on Lockheed Martin's recent investment in Saildrone:Today, I am delighted to announce a $50 million investment from Lockheed Martin in Saildrone, Inc. This commercial relationship marries the world’s most sophisticated and trusted defense technology with the world’s most capable and operationally proven USV technology. Together, we will rapidly equip Saildrone USVs with all-domain defense technology for lethal military applications.

Twelve British seafarers have been recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty, receiving the prestigious Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service which is celebrating its 20th anniversary on Merchant Navy Day, September 3.Captain Chris Phillips, 56 from Pembrokeshire, bravely led his 30-person crew on a rescue mission during the dead of Winter in 2024, saving 89 lives at sea, including women and children, and a baby.Born from a long line of seafarers, Phillips was inspired by his father and grandfather, both sea Captains, to join the Merchant Navy at the age of 16.

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has accepted the sixth and final Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV), His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Robert Hampton Gray.The AOPVs are ice-capable patrol ships designed to enhance the Canadian Armed Forces’ presence in the Arctic, and to assert and uphold Canadian sovereignty. These versatile ships can operate anywhere in the world, bolstering the RCN’s capability to support international peace and security. In addition to performing operational missions and tasks…

Since coming into force, the IMO Polar Code has had a positive effect on maritime operations in polar waters, write Dan Oldford and Ed Moakler, ABS HETC, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.What is the Polar Code, When and Why did it come into force?Polar regions have many unique hazards compared to warmer waters around the world. Since the earliest explorers sought to explore the Arctic and Antarctic by ship, many vessels have been lost due to sea ice, cold air temperatures and ice accretion.Prior to the Polar Code coming into force there were no international regulations…

On July 16, Kathy A. Smith released her latest Fascinated by Shipwrecks Podcast where she speaks to Brenden St John, Head of Ocean Science at Voyis Imaging Inc, about the wreck of the Endurance.Endurance was the three-masted barquentine that Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed to the Antarctic in 1914. The ship became trapped in pack ice and finally sank in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica on November 21, 1915.The wreck was discovered on March 5, 2022, nearly 107 later, lying in waters 3…

The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (FMHT) is proud to bring an extraordinary deep-sea discovery to the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed. As part of the Future Labs installation, FMHT will showcase the technology behind the historic mission that located Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary ship, Endurance, beneath Antarctica’s frozen Weddell Sea.Organized and funded by FMHT, the Endurance22 mission not only discovered the wreck in 2022, but also scanned, filmed and digitally preserved it.

Seatrium has been awarded a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) conversion contract from Kinetics, an energy transition initiative by global floating power company Karpowership.This award follows Kinetics’ confirmation of the option for a fourth FSRU conversion project with Seatrium, announced in April 2024, the award of three LNG carrier (LNGC) conversions into FSRUs for the company, with an option for a fourth project.While Kinetics is on track to become one of the major owners of floating LNG assets globally…

The Ice Memory Foundation is preparing for the upcoming transport of ice cores from mountain glaciers to the Ice Memory Sanctuary in Antarctica.The announcement was made as part of the launch of the UN Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034) during the third UN Ocean Conference in Nice on June 8.Preserved in the Ice Memory Sanctuary at Concordia Station, the cores will be available for study by future generations of scientists.The first Ice Memory alpine ice cores – extracted between 2016 and 2023 – will leave the laboratory cold rooms of the CNR-ISP in Italy in October.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew returned to the United States, arriving in San Francisco Sunday, following a 128-day deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2025.Polar Star completed its 28th voyage to Antarctica in support of the joint military service mission to resupply and maintain the United States Antarctic Stations. Every year, a joint total force team works together to complete a successful Operation Deep Freeze in support of the U.S.

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.

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…

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…

The U.S., Canada and Finland will form a consortium to build icebreaker ships, a senior U.S. administration official said, a move intended to bolster the allies' shipbuilding and counter Russia and China in increasingly strategic polar regions.The initiative, called the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort or ICE pact, is being unveiled on Thursday on the sidelines of a three-day NATO summit in Washington, where the alliance has called on China to end its support for Moscow's war against…

The Amerigo Vespucci, which Italians call the world's most beautiful ship, is taking a taste of its homeland on a round-the-world tour, with temporary expositions at several stops showcasing Italian products and heritage, authorities said.Tall ship Vespucci, named after the explorer who gave his name to America, is a navy boat that entered service in 1931. Some 2,700 square metres (29,000 square feet) of sails are tied to its three masts, and it has a crew of over 260 sailors…

SunStone Maritime Group has announced the long-term summer charter of the Infinity vessel, Ocean Victory, with a new client.From April 2025, the Ocean Victory will be trading in the Mediterranean Sea during northern hemisphere summer seasons for Spanish luxury cruise operator, Alma Cruceros.Alma Cruceros is a Spanish operator planning itineraries covering Spanish destinations in the Mediterranean, as well as Northern and Western Africa and the Canary Islands. The cruise product will be designed for Spanish speaking passengers in all areas from music…

A ‘Connected Future’ seminar, organized by Inmarsat in collaboration with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News and moderated by Greg Trauthwein, encapsulated the critical roles technology and data sharing play in enabling more efficient and sustainable workboat operations, and in improving conditions for crew.Insights from leading Offshore Supply Vessel owners and operators capture the extent to which technology and data sharing are driving greater efficiency, sustainability and…

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.

SunStone Maritime Group announced it has secured multi-year charters for two of its expedition cruise ships.The deals are for SunStone's Infinity Class vessels Ocean Explorer and the Ocean Odyssey, both built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) and delivered in 2021 and 2022 respectively.Under its new charter agreement, Ocean Explorer will return to polar cruising in October 2024 for SunStone's long-term client Quark Expeditions. The vessel, which ran aground in a remote part of Greenland last year…