V5 sitrep – Sunday, 08 January 2023

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We are having a rest day due to strong winds being forecast which will put us outside the operating parameters of our watercraft and shore crane. We have had four successful days of cargo operations with 48% of Casey's cargo already delivered and some loaded onto the ship from Casey.

With the latest RTA (return to Australia) manifest being received overnight Deputy Voyage Leader Jacob is playing tetris. That is he is trying to work out how all of this cargo will fit and stowed appropriately in consultation with the Captain and Chief Officer. It sounds simple but there are many things to consider:

* Is the cargo a dangerous good, if so what classification, what is the separation distance between the different classifications, where on the ship can it be carried
* Do we have the correct paperwork and does it match what we want to load
* The type of container: Size – 20 foot standard, hi top, refrigerated requiring power, 10 foot standard or hi top, cage pallet, on pallets
* Does the container fit into a standard 20 or 10 foot container slot – eg if there is a handle or anything that attached then it does not fit in the standard footprint meaning it moves into the next slot so we may not be able to put the same type of container or other cargo next to it
* Are there items packed above the lip of the container so another container is unable to be stacked on top
* The type of hatches the vessel has: what part of the hatches do you need to keep clear to open or access other cargo spaces
* Juggling the four large pontoons, two workboats and a large barge on top of the hatches when not in the water
* We also have the resupply cargo for Davis and Mawson stations so need to keep access to them and how will we stow their cargo going back to Australia

Once a draft plan is developed then a sequence is produced so station know what we can load, when and in what order. Loading a vessel is not as simple as 'send me your cargo'.


Cheers
Leanne and Jacob

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.