Key points
- The 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition has arrived at the Akademik Vernadsky station.
- The team is replacing the 30th UAE, which has been running the base and conducting research for a year.
- The icebreaker Noosfera delivered the polar explorers in 3.5 days.
- More than 50 tonnes of cargo needed for the winter are being unloaded at the station.
The changeover of annual expeditions has begun at the Akademik Vernadsky station. The team of the 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition has arrived on Galindez Island to replace their colleagues from the 30th UAE, who have been conducting research and operating the base throughout the year.
This time, the icebreaker Noosphere delivered the polar explorers in record time – the journey from the Chilean port of Punta Arenas to the station took three and a half days.
This was facilitated by both the extensive experience of the ship’s captain, Pavlo Panasyuk, who is now in his fifth Antarctic season, and the favourable weather conditions.
– National Antarctic Scientific Centre.
Polar explorers joke that Drake Passage was so calm that it could be called Drakelake – Drake like a lake.
The new team was already awaited at the station by participants in the seasonal expedition and polar explorers from the 30th UAE. In the coming days, the icebreaker will be unloaded: polar explorers will transport more than 50 tonnes of cargo necessary for wintering to the shore using motor boats due to the limitations of the icebreaker’s bottom relief.
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The 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition, led by its first female commander, set off for the Akademik Vernadsky station
