ARA “Puerto Argentino” ship arrived this morning at the Buenos Aires port dock after completing the first tasks within the framework of the 2024/25 Summer Antarctic Campaign. It had set sail at the end of November to serve as logistical support for the activities carried out on the white continent under the operational control of the Joint Antarctic Command.
During its Antarctic mission, the surface unit carried out material loading and unloading tasks at the Carlini Antarctic Base. It also carried out an inspection of the temporary Joint Antarctic Bases Decepción and Melchior, prior to the arrival of their respective crews that will work during the summer season, which were subsequently transferred on board.
On the other hand, at the Joint Antarctic Base Petrel, material was unloaded for the construction of the building complex that aims to become the logistical epicenter of the country’s Antarctic Campaigns. This base will have a large housing capacity; a bakery; a multipurpose room; a radio station; a health sector with a diagnostic imaging room, an emergency room and an inpatient room; and a landing strip.
During the same navigation stage, the ship arrived at the Joint Antarctic Base Esperanza, where it unloaded material and then transferred to the continent the personnel who had spent the winter at the Joint Antarctic Base Orcadas.
It is worth noting that at each of the stopovers made by the notice in Antarctica, tasks were carried out to evacuate classified Antarctic waste (ERAC) which was then transported to the port of the city of Ushuaia for final disposal. A task of relevance when complying with the Antarctic Treaty, collaborating with the sustainability of the activities.
On board the Naval Unit there are first to fourth year Cadets from the Naval Military School, who are involved in all the ship’s activities. At each stage of navigation, the young people will be relieved by others, in order to give the greatest possible number of Cadets the opportunity to learn about the activities that take place in Antarctica.
The unit is expected to set sail again in early February heading south to continue with the logistical tasks on the white continent, which will extend until the end of March and include activities in collaboration with the icebreaker ARA “Almirante Irízar”.