On the evening of December 12, the flagship of the Ukrainian research fleet, the RV Noosfera, left Cape Town (South Africa) for Antarctica. This is already its fourth Antarctic season under the blue and yellow flag. The vessel is led by experienced captain Pavlo Panasyuk.
Before the icebreaker’s departure, it was visited by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to South Africa, Liubov Abravitova.
Like the three previous Antarctic seasons, the fourth one takes place during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite this, our state continues to fulfill its international obligations and ensure both the continuity of research at Akademik Vernadsky station and the implementation of international scientific projects funded by the EU.
Moreover, this season Noosfera will cooperate even more actively with the Antarctic programs of other countries.
Poland: For the fourth time in a row, our icebreaker will provide rotation of Polish polar explorers and deliver cargo to Arcktowski Polish Antarctic station on King George Island.
USA: The Ukrainian vessel was selected by the US National Science Foundation to conduct marine research in the waters of the Southern Ocean around the American Palmer station (by the way, the closest neighbor of our Vernadsky station).
Spain: the RV Noosfera will provide research and cargo delivery for the Gabriel de Castilla Base located on Deception Island. In the same voyage, Ukrainian scientists will perform a number of joint works with the Czech Antarctic Expedition.
Research is also planned for two projects within the Horizon Europe program:
- OCEAN:ICE – oceanographic studies of changes in currents in Bransfield Strait;
- EXPLORA – selection of samples of marine bacteria for their further cultivation and search for beneficial properties.
All international research and projects are funded by foreign partners.
In addition, traditionally at the beginning of the season, the vessel will deliver to Vernadsky a group of technical specialists, who will carry out urgent repair work during the short Antarctic summer (recall that the station was built in the 1950s and reconstructed in 1980). The plans include the replacement of sewerage system, lighting fixtures, reconstruction and expansion of the site for meteorological research.
At the end of the fourth season, the icebreaker will also traditionally provide the rotation of annual Ukrainian Antarctic expeditions.
Currently, Noosfera has a long way to go across the Atlantic and Southern Oceans. The vessel is expected to reach our station before the New Year.
We wish the Noosfera’s team and the polar explorers a good season and an easy journey to the faraway Antarctica!
We remind you that from January 2022 to April 2024, the RV Noosfera successfully completed three Antarctic seasons. You can read more about this here.