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Yesterday cargo continued till late afternoon. 43 tonnes in 10 lifts was sent ashore and 75 tonnes in 11 lifts was returned to the vessel, a total of 118 tonnes of cargo moved. There are now only around 7 loads before we need to bring the big heavy machines aboard.
Setting the 1.4km of fuel hose took longer than planned with constant interruptions to lift the hose over larger bergy bits, growlers and floes.
The first fuel was pumped ashore at 3am but it was necessary to stop pumping by 6am because of the mass of ice pressing against the line, causing the anchors that hold it in place to drag.
The line was 'pigged', a process to purge the fuel from the line using a special tool called a pig! It's true! There's even a really cool pig shop in Melbourne!
The line was then dropped in the water, releasing the pressure on it (and on us!), letting the ice float away. At about 11am we were set back up and pumping again. With about 200,000 of the 950,000 litres of fuel ashore by midday.
No cargo is planned today as the teams working relentlessly overnight on the fuel hose need to catch up on some well earned and deserved rest.
Wishing a merry and enjoyable white Christmas from Casey harbour in Newcomb Bay to all our friends and families around the world, and all of the amazing, hard-working and professional crew and expeditioners onboard and ashore.
Cheers,
Andy, Vic and Eloise
p.s. the stunning view from the bridge today can be viewed from the ships webcam at: www.antarctica.gov.au/webcams/aurora and a view of the ship from Casey at: www.antarctica.gov.au/webcams/casey
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.