CNS Aquiles Visits Punta Arenas on Antarctic Mission

January 20, 2020 (Google Translation) – During this morning the Transportation “Aquiles” made its landfall at the Prat pier, in order to continue the Antarctic Campaign. The Commander of the Ship, Frigate Captain Jorge Ibarra and his staff were received by the Commander in Chief of the Third Naval Zone, Rear Admiral Ronald Baasch and his General Staff.

The Unit Commander said that “the departure will be on January 24 to be on Monday, January 27, early in the morning at Fildes Bay, to contribute to Antarctic logistic support. We are a vessel that we contribute with more than 105 people, together with the support of two Bolkow helicopters and the embarkation of both Chilean and foreign scientists, ”he said.

During the afternoon, Comandante Ibarra and part of his staff met with the Director of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), Marcelo Leppe and his team in order to coordinate the tasks to be carried out in this new Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ECA) ), which includes cargo transportation, embarkation and landing of scientists from the Chilean Antarctic Institute, and the different national and international Antarctic operators.

Meanwhile, the Director of the Chilean Antarctic Institute, Marcelo Leppe explained that for this year more than 120 projects of the National Program of Antarctic Sciences will be carried out, which include outstanding projects and topics of utmost importance for citizens, such as global warming , and the displacement of penguin colonies in the area.

The support tasks to be carried out are also the sampling in more than 15 geographical sectors of the Antarctic, such as the sampling of birds, especially penguins in the sector of Bahía Esperanza, the collection of snow samples, and no doubt , one of the most important is the collection of geological material from volcanic rocks located in the sector of Isla Paulette and Cabo Purvis.

The Aquiles Transport will also support the transfer of Army personnel, the closure of the Uruguayan base and the Risopatron Base, support for the Czech Republic base, and the Vernaski Base of Ukraine.

In terms of cargo transportation, it is worth noting that the ship “Aquiles” will transfer approximately 251 tons to the Antarctic Territory for the Prat Naval Base, Maritime Governorate of the Chilean Antarctic, Puerto Paraíso Captaincy, O’Higgins Base, Frei Base, Yelcho Base, Escudero, Risopatrón and the Teniente Marsh Airfield between the Chilean bases, and among the foreign ones are the Great Wall Base of China, Artigas of Uruguay, Vernandsky of Ukraine and finally, the Mendel Base of the Czech Republic. To finalize the Unit, it will bring from the Antarctic Peninsula about 166 tons of garbage back to the Continent.