The aviso ARA “Puerto Argentino,” under the command of Lieutenant Commander Pablo Polack, docked at the Buenos Aires Naval Station after completing its logistical tasks on the white continent, within the framework of the 2024/25 Summer Antarctic Campaign (CAV).
Upon arrival, while members of the Navy’s General Staff Band played military marches, the ship was greeted by the Joint Antarctic Commander (COCOANTAR), Navy Commodore Maximiliano Mangiaterra, who was accompanied by other naval and COCOANTAR authorities.
The ARA “Puerto Argentino,” which had set sail from Buenos Aires on November 22 to provide logistical support for the activities carried out on the white continent, sailed a total of 15,419 nautical miles (28,555.98 kilometers).
During the three stages of the CAV, during which it returned to Buenos Aires to load fuel, supplies, and equipment, the ship remained in Antarctic waters for 61 days and was deployed for 135 days under the operational control of COCOANTAR.
During its participation, it operated from eight Argentine Antarctic bases: the Esperanza, Brown, Decepción, Petrel, Cámara, and Primavera Joint Antarctic Bases (BAC), and the Carlini Scientific Base. It also operated from a Chilean base, the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva Base.
The unit was primarily dedicated to transporting cargo (food supplies, fuel, and structures for the Petrel project) and personnel from the continent to and between the bases. During its Antarctic mission, it carried out, among other tasks, a pre-inspection of the Decepción, Melchior, and Cámara bases and the transfer of structures for the Petrel BAC project.
He also completed the withdrawal of military and scientific personnel from the Brown and Esperanza bases, and also opened and closed the Decepción BAC.
At the same time, personnel from the Naval Hydrography Service (SHN) embarked, conducting surveys in various sectors of Argentine Antarctica and obtaining information of great value for navigation.
The ship operated alongside the logistics vessel ARA “Patagonia” and the icebreaker ARA “Almirante Irízar” to replenish supplies and extend its operational capacity.
In compliance with the Antarctic Treaty, it carried out evacuation tasks for classified Antarctic waste (ERAC), which were then transported to the port of Ushuaia for final disposal.
Contributing to the training, nine cadets from the Naval Military School embarked on board this naval unit. They not only had the opportunity to explore the White Continent, but also, more importantly, were able to reinforce the knowledge they had acquired in the classroom as part of the crew. Fully integrated, they formed part of the maneuver and operations teams, contributing and learning in the process.
As usual, personnel from the Navy’s Rescue Service boarded the vessel as a complementary crew, making “the use of smaller vessels more efficient and safer and carrying out inspections of the unit to ensure its continued integrity,” said the ship’s Second in Command, Lieutenant Rodrigo Fernández Méndez.
A total of 75 people were part of the crew, who, from their respective positions, “constituted a single team with a single spirit. They all returned eager to be reunited with their families, but knowing that the distance meant being part of a very important achievement,” emphasized Lieutenant Fernández Méndez.