Antarctica

• Monday, May 11th 2026 - 07:00 UTC

  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.

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• Saturday, May 9th 2026 - 06:43 UTC

  Tenerife braces for race-against-time operation to evacuate 140 from MV Hondius

  

  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.

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• Friday, May 8th 2026 - 15:40 UTC

  Ushuaia landfill scrutinized in cruise ship hantavirus outbreak probe

  

  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.

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• Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 22:18 UTC

  Falklands monitor MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak and clarify the route did not include the islands

  

  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.

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• Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 03:23 UTC

  Cape Verde denies docking to hantavirus-hit cruise ship as WHO confirms seven cases

  

  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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• Sunday, May 3rd 2026 - 09:54 UTC

  Another Antarctica season of over 100.000 visitors, according to IAATO

  

  The latest official report from IAATO, (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators), put total 2024-25 visitation at 118,491, after 122,072 in 2023-24, meaning traffic remains well above the 100,000 mark even after a modest pullback.

• Saturday, April 25th 2026 - 16:12 UTC

  Viking's Jørn Henriksen new IAATO executive committee chair

  

  Jørn Henriksen, director of expedition operations at Viking, was elected chair of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, (IAATO) executive committee.

• Wednesday, April 22nd 2026 - 09:17 UTC

  Falklands participating at the IAATO annual meeting at Annapolis, MD

  

  A delegation of Falkland Islands representatives is currently attending the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, IAATO, Annual Meeting, (20/23 April), which also includes a Marketplace expo, at Annapolis, Maryland, United States

• Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 07:13 UTC

  FAO food commodities prices up in March; concern with energy and fertilizer costs

  

  World food commodity prices rose in March for the second month in a row, due largely to higher energy prices linked to the conflict escalation in the Near East, according to the latest benchmark measure released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

• Monday, April 6th 2026 - 08:23 UTC

  Replacement of Ice Patrol HMS Protector in the Works?

  

  Portsmouth News has reported that UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) has confirmed that capabilities for a future ice patrol ship are currently in the works. Minister for Defense readiness and industry, Luke Pollard, confirmed the development when responding to a parliamentary written question from Reform (former Tory) MP Andrew Rosindell.