Antarctica

• Wednesday, November 4th 2015 - 07:18 UTC

  Australia announces construction of new icebreaker and more funds for Antarctic research

  

  The Australian government has provided the first look at Australia's new icebreaker, a ship it says will offer scientists unprecedented and extended access to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

• Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 06:08 UTC

  Frustration with CCAMLR meeting: no advance on conservation proposals

  

  The 34th meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Marine Living Resources closed Friday in Hobart, Tasmania with the unexpected emergence of China as a supporter for a revised Ross Sea MPA. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) described the Commission’s slow progress to live up to its conservation responsibilities as “challenging”.

• Thursday, October 22nd 2015 - 19:05 UTC

  Ushuaia cruise season takes off: 331 calls estimated in 2015/16

  

  The 2015/16 cruise season has taken off in Argentine Tierra del Fuego with the arrival on Monday, of 'Ushuaia' and 90 passengers, one of the 331 calls which are estimated according to Ushuaia authorities. Gianfranco Guardamagna head of the Tierra del Fuego Tourism Institute recalled the significance of the cruise industry for Ushuaia, since the austral city “commands 95% of all international Antarctic tourism”.

• Monday, October 19th 2015 - 21:46 UTC

  Polar operators keen on conducting citizen science projects

  

  Field staff from the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operations (IAATO) and the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) got together in Toronto last month in the first Polar field staff conference ever held. Seventy-five people attended over the three days representing 24 IAATO/AECO members, three governments, three universities and the World Wildlife Fund.

• Thursday, October 15th 2015 - 06:52 UTC

  HMS Protector to assess fish stocks and update Ross Sea charts

  

  Ice ship HMS Protector is heading for waters no Royal Navy vessel has visited in 80 years as she begins a marathon deployment to Antarctica. The Plymouth-based icebreaker and survey vessel will ensure the world’s fishermen are not stripping the largely-unspoiled waters of the Ross Sea of marine life.

• Tuesday, October 6th 2015 - 08:20 UTC

  Ushuaia expects this cruise season 336 vessel calls and over 100.000 visitors

  

  Tierra del Fuego Tourism Institute (Infuetur), in extreme south Argentina, is expecting 25% more cruise visitors this 2015/16 season, most probably breaking the 100.000 milestone, with 336 calls involving 47 cruise vessels. The estimate is 112.170 passengers by April 2016, of which 79.486 non Antarctic and 36.684 Antarctic visitors.

• Wednesday, September 30th 2015 - 07:25 UTC

  Blue whales reported to be back in Barents Sea after a century

  

  Blue whales are returning to the Barents Sea in the area of Svalbard, according to employees of Holland's Institute of Sea Research. The 17 species spotted means the mammals are returning to the region after a century of absence.

• Thursday, September 24th 2015 - 07:25 UTC

  Falklands and South Georgia commemorative coins celebrating longest reigning sovereign in British history

  

  Four British overseas territories, including the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands have issues a commemorative coin celebrating the day their head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, became the longest reigning British sovereign in history.

• Thursday, September 24th 2015 - 07:18 UTC

  Polar Tour Operators hold first Antarctic/Arctic field guide conference

  

  The poles are combining forces in Toronto next week at a unique conference for polar field staff organized by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) in collaboration with its sister organization in the Arctic, the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO).

• Monday, September 7th 2015 - 08:52 UTC

  HMS Endurance up for sale; she never recovered from the 2008 accident

  

  The Royal Navy has put its Ice Patrol ship, HMS Endurance, up for sale. The icebreaker served as the Royal Navy ice patrol ship between 1991 and 2008 before an accident during routine maintenance destroyed a large part of her equipment.