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Well, we did indeed keep a watchful eye and we did deploy the fuel line.. then things got a little weird weather wise.
First thing in the morning with calm conditions the watercraft operators deployed to lay out an extended ice rope between Balley rocks and the edge of Molholm Island comfortably within the time limits set in a wager with the voyage leader.. bad news for the VL but good news for our scheduling. After which the barge crew were able to begin deploying the main fuel line from ship to shore. Throughout this period, the wind which had consistently blown gently from a North Easterly direction began to shift North and then Westerly bringing previously unseen icefloes from well beyond Kilby Island around and into the harbour. As even pressure testing had not yet commenced, the fuel hose was quickly detached and carefully moved by the watercraft operators around behind the ice floes which proceeded to slowly pass between ship and station, skirting the edges of the ice lines and back out the Eastern side of the bay, a complete loop around the ship as the wind changed yet again to a Southerly.
With the bay now largely clear of ice floes, and following a recce out along the Western shoreline we were confident the coast was literally clear, and we were ready once again to reconnect the fuel host. After pressure testing had been completed under the watchful eye of the refuel supervisor.. fuel was ready to be pumped through the line to the waiting storage tanks on station.
With monitoring teams in position along the length of the fuel hose for the duration of the operation, complementing our refuel technical team, the refuelling of the station is a highly procedural and labour intensive exercise involving many personnel from both the ship and station working in strict shifts, around the clock.
The quick and effective response to the limited but still disruptive presence of ice floes this morning is testament to the dynamic nature of this environment, and to the responsiveness of our teams, working safely together to get the job done.
With kind regards.
James and Dave
V2 Voyage Management
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.