Vessel
Not much happens in McMurdo; everyday is pretty much the same. So we sustain ourselves on the rumor mill and boos, which kind of feed each other. Everyonce in a while, though, something actually happens. One of those happenings is the arrival of the vessels at the end of each summer season.
A couple weeks ago, the Sweedish icebreaker "Oden" began cutting a channel though the sea ice. The Oden operates by a system of ballast that accomodates 3650 square meters of sea water. The Oden powers its way on top of the ice, lubricated by a hull wash system that constantly propels water down its bow. As the ship crests on top of the ice, the 3650 square meters of water ballast shifts to the bow of the boat, and the ice beneath is crushed. According to its specs, the Oden can cut through 1.9 m level ice at 3 knots.
The Oden's system of icebreaking is slightly different from the icebreakers employed by the US Coast Guard: the Polar Sea and the Polar Star. These vessels operate more as battering rams through the ice, although, they as well can shift water ballast. Last year, the USAP employed both the Oden and the Polar Sea. It was found that the Oden was a more effective icebreaker (or possibly less expensive?) for our conditions, so this year the Oden is our sole icebreaker.
This is the Oden docked in McMurdo Bay.
After the Oden has cut a navigable channel through the semi-permanent sea ice (the last time the sea ice melted all the way to the permanant Ross Sea Ice Shelf was 1988), the resupply vessels are free (sort of) to dock at McMurdo. This includes the fuel tanker Lawrence H. Gianella and cargo vessel American Tern.
The Oden is on its way to free the ship, and should meet the Gianella sometime today. If the Oden is able to escort the Gianella into McMurdo, then the fuel tanker would arrive sometime next week. That, however, is a big 'if'. Several years ago, the tanker was unable to navigate its way into McMurdo Bay, and the fuels operators in McMurdo were forced to run fuel lines for miles along the shore of Ross Island in order to reach the tanker. This is a Herculean task, and involves extending the summer season for certain departments. It's an unlikely scenario, but its also a reminder of how vulnerable we are to the whims of weather.
Due to the delay of the Gianella, the American Tern is also behind schedule. Cargo Vessel Offload is the busiest time of the year for most departments. When vessel arrives, the bars shut down, the store discontinues the sale of alcohol, most departments switch to a twelve hour workday, and the cargo department does not get a day off until the vessel is unloaded of its cargo and reloaded with garbage and retro (the term given to overstock or unneeded items on station). This is usually (I use this term lightly) a five day process. The American Tern was scheduled to arrive on the third of February, but we'll wait and see. I'll keep you posted!
A couple weeks ago, the Sweedish icebreaker "Oden" began cutting a channel though the sea ice. The Oden operates by a system of ballast that accomodates 3650 square meters of sea water. The Oden powers its way on top of the ice, lubricated by a hull wash system that constantly propels water down its bow. As the ship crests on top of the ice, the 3650 square meters of water ballast shifts to the bow of the boat, and the ice beneath is crushed. According to its specs, the Oden can cut through 1.9 m level ice at 3 knots.
The Oden's system of icebreaking is slightly different from the icebreakers employed by the US Coast Guard: the Polar Sea and the Polar Star. These vessels operate more as battering rams through the ice, although, they as well can shift water ballast. Last year, the USAP employed both the Oden and the Polar Sea. It was found that the Oden was a more effective icebreaker (or possibly less expensive?) for our conditions, so this year the Oden is our sole icebreaker.
This is the Oden docked in McMurdo Bay.
After the Oden has cut a navigable channel through the semi-permanent sea ice (the last time the sea ice melted all the way to the permanant Ross Sea Ice Shelf was 1988), the resupply vessels are free (sort of) to dock at McMurdo. This includes the fuel tanker Lawrence H. Gianella and cargo vessel American Tern.
Below is sat photo of the Southeastern edge of the Ross Sea. The left side of the photo is the TransAntarctic Moutain Range. The bottom right is the Ross Sea Ice Shelf. And the the tiny bulb jutting out of the ice shelf is the northern Peninsula of Ross Island, which is now exposed to open water.
Below is a recent sat image of Ross Island. You can see that the northern shores of the island are now exposed to the Ross Sea. The Southern shores are, as always, encrusted in the permanent Ross Sea Ice Shelf. McMurdo Staion is located on the tip of the southern peninsula of Ross Island. The ice to the left of the Peninsula is semi-permanent sea ice. The ice to the right of the peninsula is the permanent ice shelf. In 1988, the sea ice melted and blew away, exposing McMurdo station to the Ross Sea. Every year since then, an icebreaker has been employed to cut a channel through the sea ice. The channel through the sea ice that leads to McMurdo is visible in the photo.
Below is a map tracking the progress of the icebreaker Oden, the American Tern, the Lawrence H. Gianelli, and the NSF research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer. You may need to enlarge this one to figure it out.
The Gianella was scheduled to dock on Monday, January 21st. Unfortunately, the tanker has become encumbered in ice in the Ross Sea, and has not moved for several days. These are pictures from the standed Gianella.
The Oden is on its way to free the ship, and should meet the Gianella sometime today. If the Oden is able to escort the Gianella into McMurdo, then the fuel tanker would arrive sometime next week. That, however, is a big 'if'. Several years ago, the tanker was unable to navigate its way into McMurdo Bay, and the fuels operators in McMurdo were forced to run fuel lines for miles along the shore of Ross Island in order to reach the tanker. This is a Herculean task, and involves extending the summer season for certain departments. It's an unlikely scenario, but its also a reminder of how vulnerable we are to the whims of weather.
Due to the delay of the Gianella, the American Tern is also behind schedule. Cargo Vessel Offload is the busiest time of the year for most departments. When vessel arrives, the bars shut down, the store discontinues the sale of alcohol, most departments switch to a twelve hour workday, and the cargo department does not get a day off until the vessel is unloaded of its cargo and reloaded with garbage and retro (the term given to overstock or unneeded items on station). This is usually (I use this term lightly) a five day process. The American Tern was scheduled to arrive on the third of February, but we'll wait and see. I'll keep you posted!
posted by chubalicious at 12:47 PM
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