Antarctica

• Tuesday, January 14th 2014 - 13:12 UTC

  South Georgia grey-headed albatross added to the 'endangered species' list

  

  Encouraging and bad news for albatrosses: while the black-browed has been down-listed from 'near threatened' the grey-headed albatross is in rapid decline and considered “endangered” mainly because of fishing activities, reports the latest edition of the South Georgia Newsletter.

• Monday, January 13th 2014 - 06:30 UTC

  Busy November in South Georgia with 11 cruises, yachts and HMS Protector

  

  November was a busy month for cruise vessels: eleven cruise ships visited South Georgia between the 9th and 29th, according to the South Georgia Newsletter. One cruise ship, Ortelius, reached the rarely visited South Sandwich Islands and was able to put scientist Tom Hart ashore on Saunders Island where he took soil samples and set up two camera-traps to monitor the penguin colonies.

• Monday, January 13th 2014 - 06:17 UTC

  South Georgia will issue two-year licenses for toothfish and icefish

  

  The government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands has announced it will issue two-year fishing licenses to companies who successfully apply to fish for toothfish and icefish in the SGSSI Maritime Zone, reports the South Georgia Newsletter latest edition.

• Saturday, January 11th 2014 - 07:48 UTC

  Russian vessel incident triggers debate on Antarctica growing tourist industry

  

  The challenging rescue operation launched after a Russian ship became trapped in Antarctic pack ice in December shows the inherent risks facing the frozen continent's burgeoning tourist industry, experts say. Antarctica represents one of the last frontiers for adventurous travelers, an icy wonderland of glaciers, emperor penguins and seemingly endless white expanses.

• Wednesday, January 8th 2014 - 05:25 UTC

  Russian and Chinese vessels break loose from Antarctic ice

  

  The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) confirmed Wednesday that the entrapped Antarctic ships, the Akademik Shokalskiy and the Xue Long (Snow Dragon), have broken free from the ice in Antarctica and are no longer in need of assistance.

• Wednesday, January 8th 2014 - 01:00 UTC

  IAATO expedition vessel helps HCA chart Antarctic waters

  

  An IAATO sailing yacht has demonstrated that private and commercial vessels on expeditions in Antarctica can perform official hydrographic surveys and produce navigational charts that are still much needed for the region. Results were presented at the 13th Conference of the Hydrographic Commission on Antarctica (HCA) in Cadiz, Spain 3-5 December, hosted by the Spanish Navy.

• Sunday, January 5th 2014 - 14:41 UTC

  US icebreaker sent to Antarctica to rescue Chinese and Russian trapped vessels

  

  A U.S. Coast Guard heavy icebreaker left Australia for Antarctica on Sunday to rescue more than 120 crew members aboard two icebreakers trapped in pack ice near the frozen continent’s eastern edge, officials said. The 122-meter cutter, the Polar Star, is responding to a Jan. 3 request from Australia, Russia and China to assist the Russian and Chinese ships.

• Friday, January 3rd 2014 - 14:43 UTC

  Chinese icebreaker trapped in Antarctica after rescuing passengers from Russian vessel

  

  The Chinese icebreaker that helped rescue 52 passengers from a Russian ship stranded in Antarctic ice found itself stuck in heavy ice, further complicating the 9-day “roller-coaster” rescue operation. “Snow Dragon” (Xue Long) had ferried the passengers from the stranded Russian ship to an Australian icebreaker late on Thursday.

• Thursday, January 2nd 2014 - 16:00 UTC

  China starts to build its fourth Antarctica base: more planned

  

  Just days after the Chinese rover Jade Rabbit settled down on the moon, China is setting out to bolster its presence in another remote place: Antarctica. Chinese state media said on Thursday that construction workers are en route to the future site of China’s fourth Antarctic research station, after a pit stop at one of its other bases.

• Thursday, January 2nd 2014 - 15:49 UTC

  Chinese helicopter rescues stranded passengers from Russian vessel trapped in Antarctic ice

  

  A Chinese helicopter reached on Thursday a Russian ship stranded in Antarctica for nine days to pick up 52 passengers who spent Christmas and the New Year trapped in ice, the expedition leader has said.