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Early this morning, a solitary Kassbohrer (polar tracked vehicle) wound its way along the coastline off station before making a bee-line for the ship, still nestled snugly in fast ice some 700 metres offshore. As they drew up alongside, the ship must have appeared to them a very large, very quiet bright orange hulk, with very few signs of life to see. Inside it, the reality was of course very different. In the galley, breakfast was being packed up and already preparations for lunch were well underway, crew were attending to their pre-work checks and safety toolbox meetings, field training officers and their capable assistants were assembling their field gear and ice drills in order to prove the fast ice beside the ship, whilst supervisors were finalising rosters and cargo discharge plans.
Shortly after 8, the ship lurched in action.. gangways were lowered and down them descended our team to carefully and methodically test the fast ice around the ship that would become the set down area for cargo being discharged off the ship. Once the condition of the ice was confirmed and the approach paths and work surfaces flagged, the ship's main crane swung into action and began to offload another Kassbohrer and several sleds . Once on the ice, with the Kassbohrer's engine started and its sleds attached, it was itself ready to take cargo.
Kassbohrer's and their sleds bore the brunt of much of the heavy shifting this morning, complemented by the two Canadian Helicopters running sling-loads of cage pallets off the ship's heli-deck. The ship's work crews, in conjunction with their French counterparts on the ice, made light work of the cargo discharge, with a good deal of the high and station critical priority cargo already transferred to station. By the end of today's operation, all of the heavy priority cargo that could not be slung in by helicopter will have been conveyed by the sleds –and we can breathe a sigh of relief that regardless of what happens to the ice in the following days, any priority cargo remaining onboard will be transportable by helicopter.
With the ice still in exceptionally good condition, and after further testing, our field training officer Rich led several groups out to demonstrate and instruct on ice drilling and how to take accurate measurements. For some, this was their first opportunity to walk on Antarctic ice, eye to eye with the often curious troop of Adelie penguins.
This evening, helicopter sling load operations continue as we look ahead to tomorrow's cargo operations and the planning of station refuelling. It is fair to say that both the French and Australian teams have worked superbly together. Working diligently and with good humour they have capitalised on the excellent weather we have had.
Regards,
James and Leanne.
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.