With the arrival of the Argentine Navy’s icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar at the commercial dock of the city of Ushuaia, the Armed Forces, through the Antarctic Joint Command, concluded the second stage of the 2023-2024 Summer Antarctic Campaign (CAV). It is expected that the units involved will prepare in the coming days to begin the third and final stage of the CAV, in order to supply the Joint Antarctic Bases San Martín, Esperanza, Petrel, and Carlini.
To quantify the efforts made during this stage, the icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar completed a navigation of 6,450 nautical miles (13,334 km) over 48 days, during which it carried out logistical replenishment tasks and deployment of scientific material at the Joint Antarctic Bases Petrel, Marambio, Carlini, Orcadas, Esperanza, and Belgrano II.
According to reports from the Argentine Navy, concerning the latter base, “At Belgrano II, the retraction of so-called historical waste was also carried out; a priority demand of the base as it contributes to improving its organization and functioning, especially regarding pollution control.”
While preparing for the third and final stage, the ARA Almirante Irízar will unload retracted waste from the Argentine bases, while being supplied with aircraft fuel, Antarctic diesel, and food thanks to the upcoming arrival of the logistical transport ship ARA Canal Beagle from Buenos Aires, which will also join this final stage of the 2023-2024 Summer Antarctic Campaign.
*Cover photograph used for illustrative purposes.
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