MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Report warns foreign fleets off Argentina catch up to four times the national industry's haul]]> The foundation warned that, if the current level of exploitation continues, resources that are strategic for the economy could be compromised Foreign fleets operating along the outer edge of Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) —the so-called Mile 201— extract up to four times the volume caught by the entire national fishing industry, according to a report by the Latin American Foundation for Fisheries Sustainability (FULASP) released on the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. The organization called the activity one of the main threats to the fishery resources of the South-West Atlantic.

]]> Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:56:00 GMT <![CDATA[BAS confirmed as world’s leading center for Antarctic and Southern Ocean research]]> Professor Dame Jane Francis (Director of BAS) and Oliver Darke (Director of Operations, Engineering and Infrastructure) representing the UK at ATCM in Japan A major new analysis has confirmed the UK’s British Antarctic Survey (BAS) as the world’s leading center for Antarctic and Southern Ocean research. This was revealed during the Antarctic treaty Consultive Meeting, ATCM, recent May meeting in Japan that convened Antarctic Leaders and government official from across the world.

]]> Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:30:00 GMT <![CDATA[Gentoo Penguins Are Actually Four Different Species, Latest Scientists Research, Smithsonian Magazine]]> The northern Gentoo, or Pygoscelis papua, lives on the Falkland and Martillo Islands of South America. These penguins thrive in the warmer and saltier waters north of the polar front A new study indicates that the adaptable marine birds evolved into distinct lineages as isolated populations shifted to match their environmental conditions over time. The work has implications for how conservationists assess threats to Gentoos. (Piece by Carlyn Kranking, Associate Web Editor, Science, Communications Biology)

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 18:41:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands reaffirms close relationship with IAATO; Marketplace Expo in USA]]> D. Joshua and Pamé D’Avino from Sulivans Shipping Services, Louise Ellis and Jane Clarke from FIDC, Richard Morrison and Rachael Crowie from Penguin Travel, and Steph Middleton from the FITB<br /> Reaffirming the close relationship and collaboration members from the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC) team led a coalition of Falkland Islands businesses for the inaugural Marketplace Expo during the International Association for Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) Annual meeting, which was held in late April, in Annapolis, Maryland, USA.

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 18:11:00 GMT <![CDATA[Top naval medical service containerized module successfully tested in HMS Protector]]> The Medical NavyPODS being embarked onboard the Royal Navy’s ice patrol ship HMS Protector. The NavyPODS are installed on a shock raft system designed in-house by FDS. (Credit: FDS/Simon Bradley) UK engineering SME Force Development Services (FDS) has successfully tested its containerized medical mission module at sea for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) NavyPODS – Navy Persistent Operational Deployment System – program.

]]> Tue, 19 May 2026 02:08:00 GMT <![CDATA[New Darwin Plus Funding Round, 2026, for South Georgia]]> The Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) is therefore delighted to announce a new round of Darwin Plus funding following the recent pause in the program, and welcome applications that will contribute to the broader aims of the Government.

]]> Mon, 11 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Tenerife braces for race-against-time operation to evacuate 140 from MV Hondius]]> The operational window is narrow. Canary Islands government spokesman Alfonso Cabello warned that the evacuation must be completed between Sunday and Monday Spain faces a complex international operation in Tenerife on Sunday to evacuate the passengers and crew of the cruise ship MV Hondius, struck by a hantavirus outbreak that has left three dead and five laboratory-confirmed cases among the eight identified by the World Health Organization. The Dutch-flagged vessel, carrying more than 140 people and one body still on board, will anchor off the port of Granadilla between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. local time.

]]> Sat, 09 May 2026 06:43:00 GMT <![CDATA[Ushuaia landfill scrutinized in cruise ship hantavirus outbreak probe]]> Several of the roughly 150 tourists who set sail for Cape Verde on 1 April had visited the landfill, which is frequented by birdwatchers from around the world, drawn by scavenger species Seven kilometers from downtown Ushuaia, the municipal landfill serving Argentina's southernmost city has become one of the focal points of the epidemiological investigation into the hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. Health teams are searching the site for traces of infected rodents. The landfill is frequented by birdwatchers from around the world, drawn by species such as the white-throated caracara, a scavenger bird endemic to the region.

]]> Fri, 08 May 2026 15:40:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands monitor MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak and clarify the route did not include the islands]]> The Falkland Islands Government announced that the KEMH “will review its policies for receiving unwell passengers off cruise ships, on a case-by-case basis” The Falkland Islands Government issued an official statement on Tuesday confirming that it is closely monitoring the hantavirus outbreak aboard the polar cruise ship MV Hondius — a vessel that frequently operates in the archipelago's waters — and took the opportunity to correct information reported by some international media outlets suggesting that the ship had stopped at the islands on its current voyage from Ushuaia. The Falkland Islands Maritime Authority clarified that this information is incorrect and that the Hondius's most recent visit to the archipelago was in mid-February, weeks before the journey that triggered the current health crisis.

]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 22:18:00 GMT <![CDATA[Cape Verde denies docking to hantavirus-hit cruise ship as WHO confirms seven cases]]> Aboard the Dutch-flagged Hondius are 147 passengers and crew members of 23 nationalities, including 17 Americans and at least 4 Canadians Cape Verde's health authorities on Monday denied permission to dock at the port of Praia to polar cruise ship MV Hondius, on board which the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed seven cases of hantavirus — two of them laboratory-verified — and three deaths linked to the voyage. The decision leaves the nearly 150 people remaining on board in prolonged isolation in Atlantic waters, while medical evacuations are coordinated for patients in the most serious condition and authorities evaluate the possibility of continuing the journey toward the Canary Islands, on Spanish territory.

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