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In the last sitrep of 2006 I closed by speculating on how long our good luck with cargo operations would last. Well the answer was about two minutes. After sending the sitrep the ship’s main crane began having mechanical problems. That was the first of several minor technical problems, both on the ship and ashore, that dogged the afternoon’s operations. In truth all breakdowns were quickly repaired and the overall impact on operations was fairly minimal. We weren’t able to start refuelling first thing today as we might have liked but we did make a dent in the cargo yesterday and sorted out a lot of the usual teething problems. The cargo delivered included several temporary accommodation modules destined for the Wilkins ice runway where the soon to be operational jet aircraft will land after flights from Hobart. Right now the jet barge is ferrying cargo ashore as is the ship’s workboat pushing the second un-powered barge. Most of the cargo that was stacked externally has been delivered and the front hatch cover is open and the first items of cargo are being craned out of the hold. We expect to be in a position to start refuelling operations later this afternoon. Last night those of us onboard enjoyed a superb dinner thanks to our Chinese colleagues. They descended on the galley en masse and their cook was seen bossing a number of senior scientists around when he wasn’t wielding his cleaver at lightning speed. They made fantastic steamed and fried dumplings from scratch, a traditional New Year meal, which we all enjoyed immensely. We also had a pirate themed New Years Eve party. There was a great deal of innovation in developing costumes from the limited resources at hand although for some of the crew the pirate theme seemed second nature. Between cries of ‘arrr!’ 2007 was welcomed in with a countdown and cheers. For some the edge was taken off the celebration by the knowledge that we have several full days of work ahead of us before the job at Casey is done.
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.