The Ukrainian research icebreaker "Noosphere" arrived at the Antarctic station "Akademik Vernadskyi" on the night of December 11.
This was reported by the National Antarctic Science Center.
The road from King George to Galindez, the island where the Ukrainian base is located, was slow due to the large number of icebergs. However, at the time of the shipʼs arrival at "Vernadsky" the weather was favorable, so the participants of the Ukrainian seasonal expedition managed to be quickly ferried ashore.
The peculiarity of the disembarkation is that, due to the complex topography of the bottom, "Noosphere" does not dock at the island, but stops nearby, so people and cargo are transported to the station by small boats.
In the near future, researchers need to unload the ship, start repair and other works. The season-long expeditionʼs technical team will continue upgrades to the station that began before full-scale war, while the science team will conduct additional research this season.
After unloading, "Noosphere" will go to Chile to deliver the Polish polar explorers, who are currently on board the icebreaker.
- The Antarctic station "Akademik Vernadskyi" is located on Galindez Island. Previously, it belonged to Great Britain and had the name "Faraday". On February 6, 1996, the station was transferred to Ukraine and renamed.
- The station conducts scientific research on climate change, the ozone hole, and studies the reactions of animals and plants to warming.