The ship should reach Antarctica in the first ten days of December. There were three scientists among the participants in the expedition.
The Ukrainian research icebreaker Noosphere began the third Antarctic era.
This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science.
“On Friday, November 17, the flagship of the Ukrainian research fleet – the icebreaker Noosphere – sailed from Cape Town (South Africa) to Antarctica. This is the third Antarctic season under the blue-yellow flag. The captain of ship is Alexander Grishko,” it said in the message.
It is noted that, as in the past, the current Noosphere expedition is a joint Ukrainian-Polish one and is partially funded by the Polish Antarctic Program. So, first the icebreakers will go to the Polish Antarctic station Arctowski Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station, located on King George Island. A group of polar explorers and cargo will be delivered there.
Then the ship will go to the Ukrainian station Akademik Vernadsky. Cargo will also be delivered there, as well as an occasional expedition. Most of the participants were technical specialists who had to complete the modernization of the station, which had begun before the full-scale war.
This season, plans include replacing the hot and cold water supply system, rebuilding the pier, completing foundation work on all station buildings and several other immediate tasks.
The participants of the periodic expedition also include three scientists: a biologist, a meteorologist and a geophysicist. The ship is expected to reach Antarctica in the first ten days of December this year.
The Ministry of Education and Science added that for the new Antarctic season, a lot of work has been done to maintain and improve the operation of the icebreaker. In particular, the planned repair and maintenance of the ship’s mechanisms and systems in dry dock, major repairs of the ship’s power plants were carried out, and the cooling system of the ship’s power plants was changed.
In addition, a Ukrainian-made cavitation fuel module was installed. Additionally, the ship was equipped with new navigation and other equipment.
We remind you that the second Antarctic season of the Ukrainian research icebreaker Noosphere ended in April of this year. In total, the second season of Noosphere lasted four months.
Scientists from the University of Leeds say that Antarctica has lost around 7.5 trillion tonnes of ice since 1997. This makes up more than 40% of the ice shelf.
Source: korrespondent
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