MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

January was the busiest month for South Georgia tourist season

The new South African research vessel ‘SA Agulhas II’, on weather patrol

January was the busiest month of the tourist season for South Georgia with 13 visits from cruise ships; in the second week of the month seven cruise ships visited. There were also visits by the Fishery Patrol Vessel, research vessels, and a large motor yacht, reports the latest editions of the South Georgia Newsletter.

With around 19 large icebergs in Cumberland Bay East, shipping had at times to navigate carefully to get into and out of the bay; with the bergs regularly breaking up, vessels also had to move off the regular anchorages to avoid collisions with ice.

Three vessels departing South Georgia and heading for the Antarctic Peninsula around January 11th were hit by severe conditions at sea. The heavy weather caused large waves of between 7 and 10 meters, giving the ships an uncomfortable ride and forcing them to hove too and fall behind schedule.

Four crewmembers on the vessel ‘Silver Explorer’ were injured when the central bridge window was smashed by a large wave. The water damaged the electrics on the bridge causing further problems. Once the weather abated the vessel had to return to South America for repairs.

Two trawlers have been operating in the SG Fishing Zone in January. One vessel was here to conduct the scientific Ground-fish Survey. The other was inspected and licensed on January 25th and set out to fish for ice-fish. Catches were very good.

The new South African research vessel ‘SA Agulhas II’ visited King Edward Cove on January 22nd. The vessel, which was launched in Finland last April, had recently called at Southern Thule, South Sandwich Islands, to service the South African automatic weather station there.

The vessel visited KE Cove for the day to allow the offloading of more weather buoys that will be deployed for them throughout the year by the ‘FPV Pharos SG’ when on passage between the Falklands and South Georgia or patrolling SG waters. The buoys tend to drift north-east. They collect and transmit relevant information on atmospheric and sea conditions that will affect weather systems in South Africa.

Whilst the crew made a shore visit many of the locals from KEP and Grytviken took the opportunity of an invitation aboard to look around the ship with the Captain. The well-appointed ship, built in Finland, hosts very modern and well equipped laboratories and both crew and scientist aboard were full of praise for the vessel, even the engineers who have had to deal with most of the inevitable teething troubles.

Ecologist Andrew Scofield, doing bird research as a member of one of several foreign science groups working from Agulhas II, described the science facilities aboard as “out of this world, a top facility”. He said the icebreaker was spacious and that he was, “incredibly impressed with its capabilities, it took us through to Neumayer station in Antarctica with no problems in a very heavy ice year”.