MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina looking for icebreaker for 08/09 Antarctic season

Irizar fire crippled Argentine Antarctic campaign

Argentina invited last week tenders for the provision of an ice breaker for the coming 2008/09 Antarctic season since flag carrier Almirante Irizar remains out of action following the severe fire which crippled the vessel last year. However the operation is limited to Argentine bidders.

As happened last season with the chartered Russian icebreaker Golovnin, the vessel will be used to supply Argentine Antarctic bases and help with the rotation of personnel. The need for an icebreaker in summer months is particularly critical for the supply of the Argentine base Belgrano II, close to the United Kingdom's Halley, since the area is normally surrounded by ice-locking blocks. It's the most southern of several Argentine bases and is considered strategic in the current world rush to claim or future claims of unexploited natural resources. A specially named committee with members from Antarctic offices, Ministry of Defence and Navy drafted the bid's terms and will decide on the final award. Some of the options considered by the committee were to purchase a small vessel, similar to "Bahía Paraíso" which was involved in Antarctic duties but went down in 1989 when it hit an un-chartered rock. Another option was buying the Russian Golovnin, but scarce funds frustrated all good intentions, according to the Buenos Aires media. However Argentina is in desperate need of an ice breaking vessel for Antarctic exploration since the Antarctic Treaty demands country full members to undertake scientific research and with the crippling of the Irizar, Argentina's research programs have been almost scrapped. Besides Argentina following decades of diplomatic efforts managed that Buenos Aires was finally chosen as the seat for the Permanent Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. With this in mind the Argentine National Antarctic Director Mariano Mermolli has proposed a mid term plan for the acquisition of an ice breaking vessel, smaller than the Irizar, but which can comply, --with modern technology--, with all tasks undertaken by the Argentine flag carrier. The only Antarctic faring vessel Argentina has at the moment is "Puerto Deseado", but is currently under instructions from the Argentine Foreign Affairs ministry undertaking the necessary sea-bed surveys for Argentina's presentation before the United Nations Law of the Sea Commission by May 2009. Precisely last week the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs distinguished the oceanographic Puerto Deseado for its contribution to surveying the Argentine continental platform. The ceremony took place in the Foreign Affairs ministry and an allusive plaque to the event was extended to the skipper Captain Hernan Montero. The last leg of Puerto Deseado survey took off last April 17 and during 45 days sailed to the north and south east of the Falklands all the way to South Georgia. The next step is Antarctic surveying which is scheduled for this coming 2008/09 season.