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Brazil begins rebuilding Antarctic base destroyed by deadly fire last February

Tuesday, September 18th 2012 - 06:17 UTC
Full article 3 comments
Defence minister Celso Amorim made the announcement Defence minister Celso Amorim made the announcement

Three navy supply ships will head for Antarctica next month to begin rebuilding a Brazilian naval base destroyed by a deadly fire in February, Defence Minister Celso Amorim said Monday.

“Next month, with the end of the winter on the continent, our ships will set off to begin dismantling parts of the base affected by the fire,” he said during a meeting of Latin American officials managing Antarctic programs.

The fire destroyed 70% of the Comandante Ferraz base, which was established in 1984 in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The navy vessels will ferry temporary installations, which will be dropped on the heliport of King George Island, to be used by some Brazilian researchers, a defence ministry statement said.

Other Brazilian researchers will be stationed at Antarctic bases run by Argentina and Chile.

Amorim said the aim was to begin work on the new Brazilian base in November 2013.

He said President Dilma Rousseff was firmly committed to the reconstruction of the base and thanked South American countries for their assistance during the February emergency.

Malfunctioning electrical generators were believed to have caused the blaze. This at the same time prevented the water pumps from working thus impeding fire workers to control the blaze.

Staff and equipments from bases belonging to other countries were brought to Comandante Ferraz to help contain the disaster.

Scientists working under the Brazilian Antarctic Program use the navy base to study global warming, as well as coastal and marine ecosystems.
 

Top Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules
  • GeoffWard2

    Good move.
    It's good that the many nation's stations on King George's Island should, once more, have Brasilian researchers close at hand.

    Sep 18th, 2012 - 11:05 am 0
  • British_Kirchnerist

    Good stuff; do the Brazilians have any Antarctic claim or is it just a scientific outpost btw?

    Sep 19th, 2012 - 11:03 am 0
  • GeoffWard2

    They have a 'reserved position'. They have notified that they reserve the right to claim unspecified regions of Antarctica if, in the future, it becomes in their best interests so to do.
    Many nations hold this position.

    Sep 19th, 2012 - 01:35 pm 0
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