Cape Town: The MV Vasiliy Golovnin, an expedition vessel chartered by India, commenced its journey from Cape Town to Antarctica for the 43rd Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) Voyage in the early morning hours of December 23, 2023. The expedition comprises 21 members from India, one from Bangladesh, and two from Mauritius.
The air support for the mission is facilitated by two helicopters: an Aerospatiale 350 B3 and a KAMOV 32, led by Dr. Yogesh Ray, a senior scientist from the Antarctic Operations Group of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR). The voyage is overseen by a team of 42 crew members from M/S FESCO in Vladivostok.
The participation of members from Bangladesh and Mauritius is part of the commitment from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, providing unique opportunities to scientists from the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) member and observer nations, as planned in 2023. The First Oceanographers and Hydrographers Conference, themed ‘Our Future is with Our Oceans,’ was conducted under the multilateral forum Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) from November 15 to 18, 2022. Participants express enthusiasm to be part of the voyage expedition and are prepared to face the challenges of Antarctica.
Loaded with cargo for the Indian expedition, supplies for Princess Elizabeth Station (Belgian – BELARE) and Progress Stations, as well as cargo for Novo Airport (operated by M/S Ultima Antarctic Logistics, South Africa), the vessel underwent cargo loading in two stages. The first stage took place at the port of Mormugao between November 20 and 24, 2023, while the second stage occurred at Cape Town between December 15 and 22, 2023.
In Goa, the vessel was loaded with containerized cargo, containerized living modules, heavy machinery, breakbulk spares, and vessel fuel. Subsequently, in Cape Town, station fuel tank containers, specialized reefers containers, fresh supplies, CHP (Combined Heat and Power), vehicle spares, and top-up fuel for the vessel and helicopters were loaded. The MV Vasiliy Golovnin is now en route to Antarctica, carrying the aspirations and scientific pursuits of the Indian expedition team.