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Ship to station fuel transfer commenced yesterday afternoon following attachment of the fuel hose to the ship, and after thorough testing had been completed. As of 1500hs this afternoon a total of 700,000lts of fuel has been transferred to station. At the present flow rate we anticipate the transfer could be completed by early morning tomorrow. We have been very fortunate with both weather and sea ice conditions. Currently the rigid inflatable boat teams out monitoring the fuel line are sitting atop a still blue sea, with only the odd smaller ice floe to occupy them. Whilst we can hope current conditions may prevail, we anticipate a moderate increase in winds this afternoon/evening. The monitoring teams on the ship, on the water and at station have fulfilled their roles very well, and we're grateful to them and to our refuel team and ship's engineers for continuing to manage the operation safely and efficiently.
For those of us on monitoring shifts overnight, we were treated to the spectacle of both sunset and sunrise illuminating the icebergs and low hanging cloud north of station in vivid white, orange and reds against the backdrop of a sky cast in soft pink and purple hues. Watching this spectacle from the port-side bridge against a backdrop of radio chatter, the dark line of the fuel hose winding across the bay and the silhouette of boat teams huddled against the cold was a reminder of how unique this environment is, as is the collective effort required to remain here.
Regards,
James, Jenn, Andy
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.