MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Russian icebreaker ‘Vasily Golovnin’ supplying Argentine Antarctica bases

The Russian vessel replaces Argentina’s Almirante Irizar

The Russian icebreaker ‘Vasily Golovnin’ left Buenos Aires this week for Antarctica to deliver equipment, fuel, food and general cargo to Argentina’s Antarctic bases.

‘Vasily Golovnin’ belonging to the Far Eastern Shipping Company is under contract with Argentina’s Antarctic Institute and is on her fifth round of Antarctica.

This season besides fuel, food and cargo the ship is transporting a new team of scientists to Argentina’s Antarctic bases of Esperanza, San Martin, Marambio, Orcadas, and Petrel, spokeswoman for the Far Eastern Shipping Company, Tatyana Dolgova, reported on Wednesday.

The vessel is carrying 4.000 tons of general cargo that will be delivered with assistance of a Ka-32 helicopter where there are no docking facilities. The first base, where the Vasily Golovnin will call at, is Orcadas.

This is the icebreaker’s fifth voyage to Antarctica. Last year the ship spent 76 days at sea delivering 4.693 tons of cargo and 899 tons of fuel to Argentina’s Antarctic bases and stations.

The ship is expected to end its current round in the mid or late May.

Since Argentina’s main icebreaker “Almirante Irizar” suffered a major fire in April 2007 and an almost complete loss, Argentina has been contracting or leasing Russian icebreakers for its Antarctica operations.