Antarctica

• Tuesday, June 9th 2026 - 14:20 UTC

  IAATO's new Geofenced Whale Area around South Orkney Islands

  

  On World Oceans Day the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, IAATO reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the Southern Ocean by announcing the establishment of a new voluntary “Geofenced Whale Area” around the South Orkney Islands beginning in the 2026/27 Antarctic season.

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• Sunday, June 7th 2026 - 07:56 UTC

  Report warns foreign fleets off Argentina catch up to four times the national industry's haul

  

  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.

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• Wednesday, June 3rd 2026 - 08:30 UTC

  BAS confirmed as world’s leading center for Antarctic and Southern Ocean research

  

  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.

• Thursday, May 21st 2026 - 18:41 UTC

  Gentoo Penguins Are Actually Four Different Species, Latest Scientists Research, Smithsonian Magazine

  

  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)

• Thursday, May 21st 2026 - 18:11 UTC

  Falklands reaffirms close relationship with IAATO; Marketplace Expo in USA

  

  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.

• Tuesday, May 19th 2026 - 02:08 UTC

  Top naval medical service containerized module successfully tested in HMS Protector

  

  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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.