NEWS

EDITOR'S NOTE: This edition of ANAN has been written in Antarctica and its issue has been delayed due to other pressing matters. Correspondence should be sent to the normal e-mail address. A special thanks to Kerry Steinberner for her invaluable assistance with the challenges of remote area editing.

News in this edition:

43-01. Trans-Antarctic 'Jumbo' Flight Proposed For November
43-02. 'Caledonian Star' Encounters Major Storm, Bridge Damaged
43-03. Fishing Boat Assists National Program Operation.
43-04. New Station To Focus On Fisheries Management Issues.
43-05. Six East Antarctic Overflights Planned In 2001-02.
43-06. Coming Events Relevant to Non-Government Activities.

IN READING PLEASE NOTE: This newsletter is produced in the interest of improved information sharing in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic community. Inclusion of information in it should not be taken to imply endorsement, by the publishers of ANAN News, of any company, program or associated activity that is listed, nor that the activity has necessarily completed all environmental impact assessments required under the legislation of the 'home' nation concerned.

A South African Airways Boeing 747-400 aircraft is expected to overfly the South Geographic Pole (SGP) in November during a flight from Rio Gallegos, Argentina, to Perth, Australia. The proposed trans-Antarctic flight, which is part of an attempt by a U.S. based charterer to set a new time for an around-the-world flight via the North and South Geographic Poles (AWVP), will be only the fourth commercially operated flight to overfly the SGP.

Plans call for the aircraft to depart from New York in the north-eastern U.S. on 17 November and return there two days and three hours later, a time which if achieved would break the current record by just under three hours. The flight involves four legs, the first from New York to Rio Gallegos in the far south-east of Argentina, the second over the SGP to Perth, Australia, the third to Beijing, China, and the fourth and last via the North Geographic Pole (NGP) and back to New York.

The 10,900 km trans-Antarctic flight from Rio Gallegos to Perth, which is expected to take just under twelve and a half hours, is the second longest sector of the record attempt, the longest being the 11,700 km leg from Beijing to New York over the NGP.

During the Antarctic crossing the aircraft is expected to cruise at a height of around 11,000 m above sea level. It is expected to overfly the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, then from the Pole head northwards over Wilkes Land to the east of both Russia's Vostok, andAustralia's Casey, stations, then travel out across the Southern Ocean to Perth.

Departure from Rio Gallegos and arrival at Perth will be in the dark, however, daylight views of Antarctica should be possible if cloud permits, although most of the route is across fairly featureless plateau with the exception of the Peninsula region, which will be crossed when the sun will be low to the horizon.

While regular public transport flights using heavy jet engined aircraft regularly operate around the fringes of Antarctica (ANAN-39/04, 17 January 2001), and half-day tourist flights are made from Australia and Chile (see ANAN-43/05 below and ANAN-39/05, 17 January 2001), to date only three commercially operated aircraft are known to have overflown the SGP.

A 'Flying Tiger Line' Boeing 707-049C with twenty-seven passengers on board and multiple crews was the first in November 1965, that flight setting the original AWVP record of 62 hours 27 minutes and 35 seconds.

The second, three years later, was a 'Modern Air Transport' Convair 990A, and while it was not involved in a record attempt it is distinguished by the fact that it landed its sixty eight passengers at the U.S. national program facility Williams Field adjacent to Ross Island, the first, and to date last, such commercial visitor there.

The third in October 1977 involved a 'Pan American Airways' Boeing 747SP whose Antarctic leg involved flying from Cape Town, South Africa, and over the SGP to Auckland, New Zealand. It carried 172 passengers and set the current AWVP record of 54 hours 7 minutes and 12 seconds that this November's flight is attempting to beat.

The around the world attempt is being organised and marketed by U.S.based Concorde Spirit Tours, a company that claims records for both westbound and eastbound circumnavigations of the globe along the equator. Those records were set in 1992 and 1995 respectively using an Air France Concorde.

Non-refundable bookings are now being taken for the November record attempt. The First Class fare is put at $US14,500, Business Class $US9,500 and Economy $US7,500. Patrons in First Class will be provided with full sleeper-beds, while those in Economy are to have an empty adjacent seat for extra room.

Further information on the flight can be obtained from Concorde Spirit's web site at: http://www.concorde-spirit-tours.com

[ANAN-43/01]

TO THE TOP

The bridge of the tour ship 'Caledonian Star' suffered extensive water damage on 2 March when a large wave broke windows during a major storm south-west of the Falkland Islands. Unlike a similar incident involving the tour vessel 'Bremen' a week earlier however (ANAN-42/02, 28 February 2001), serious damage to equipment did not occur and control of the ship was never lost.

When the storm was encountered 'Caledonian Star', which is operated by U.S. based Linblad Expeditions, was en route from New Island in the Falklands to Ushuaia, Argentina, on the last leg of her last voyage of the Antarctic season.

Local weather forecasts were predicting gale force winds, however during the early morning hours the wind increased to storm force, and remained so for the rest of the day. Reports from the vessel suggest that for most of the late morning and afternoon winds gusted close to 100 knots or more, and the sea increased significantly in response.

'Caledonian Star' was originally built as a factory fishing trawler for deployment off the coast of Greenland and is understood to handle rough seas very well, however it was forced to head into the sea for most of the day to ride out the storm. What was described as an 'enormous wave' struck the ship in the late afternoon, damaging the starboard bridge wing before breaking four of the windows on the bridge.

The ship was able to resume course for Ushuaia on the morning of 3 March, arriving there early on the fourth. Repairs commenced in Ushuaia and completed in Punta Arenas, Chile, as few days later, and she was able to commence her next voyage up the west coast of South America on the evening of the seventh.

One passenger on board 'Caledonian Star' fell and dislocated a shoulder during the storm, and one other minor sprain was reported, otherwise there were no injuries. It is understood that none of the injuries were a direct result of the wave that struck the bridge.

Meanwhile repairs to the German company Hapag Llyod's vessel 'Bremen' have been completed and she left Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 2 March to resume tour operations from Manaus in north-east Brazil. The five day delay in the Argentinian capital meant that a voyage from Rio de Janerio to Manaus had to be cancelled, however, she is now back in full operation.

Recent reports indicate that the strength of the wave and the large volume of water that entered the bridge resulted in the vessel being without steerage and control of its engines for almost two hours, and with no radar, navigation lights, gyro compass, echo sounder or primary VHF line of sight radio; while navigation charts and other items were thoroughly soaked and unusable for some time.

The same reports indicate that the U.K. national program vessel 'Ernest Shackleton' was more closely involved in assisting 'Bremen' than previously indicated by ANAN. She responded to Bremen's Mayday call and immediately changed course to head in her direction, at the same time establishing a radio link with the vessel so as to monitor the situation. 'Ernest Shackleton' caught up with 'Bremen' early on the morning of 23 February, just on twenty-four hours after the wave had struck.

Over the next two and a half days the U.K. vessel took station a few kilometres ahead of 'Bremen' as they headed for Buenos Aires, and when thick fog was encountered, provided a radar watch and assisted with navigation. The two ships parted company less than a day's travel from the Argentinian capital, and soon after an Argentine coastal patrol aircraft had flown overhead.

A ship's Captain who has many years experience in Antarctic waters told ANAN that the 'Bremen' and 'Caledonian Star' incidents were not all that unusual in terms of ship operations world-wide. He said that both vessels are known to be well operated in a "very professional" manner and that the wave strikes should not be regarded as reflecting on either ship in any way. Instead, he said, such incidents only emphasise the difficulties of operating in Antarctic waters and the need for the highest vessel and crewing standards to be maintained.

The Antarctic Treaty System is currently developing guidelines for shipping in order to generally raise ship safety standards and so minimise serious incidents occuring at sea in the Antarctic region, and in particular the associated environmental damage that can often flow from such events (ANAN-20/01, 26 April 2000).

[ANAN-43/02]

TO THE TOP

The fishing vessel 'Southern Champion' assisted Australian national program operations on sub-Antarctic Heard Island last month when it returned eight members of a research group working there to Albany in Australia's south-west. The eight had spent three months on the island and were to have left there in mid-February on the national program chartered vessel 'Polar Bird', however it was seriously delayed after twice encountering difficult ice conditions earlier in the season and was running a month behind schedule.

'Southern Champion', which had been fishing under licence in the Australian fishing zone around Heard Island, was asked if it could assist as the eight island personnel involved had university, research and other committments that would have been serious affected had they had to wait until Polar Bird's arrival. Personnel embarked on the fishing vessel on 11 February and arrived in Albany nine days later.

The eight-seven metre Australian-registered 'Southern Champion' is owned and operated by the Perth, Western Australia based fishing company Kailis and France Foods. A related company in the same business group also operates its near-sister ship the 'Austral Leader' in sub-Antarctic waters.

'Southern Champion' has now made ten, six to eight week fishing voyages to the Heard Island region since October 1998. 'Austral Leader' first operated in the sub-Antarctic in November 1994, and up until recently had made sixteen voyages to the Australian fishing zone around Macquarie Island and eleven to the vicinity of Heard Island.

'Polar Bird' has now picked-up the remaining sixteen members of the Heard Island party and they should arrive back in Hobart, Australia, at the end of this month.

[ANAN-43/03]

TO THE TOP

A new research station to be formally opened at King Edward Point (KEP), South Georgia, next week is to focus on research into fisheries management issues in the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands area.

The Director of British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Professor Chris Rapley, was quoted in a press release as saying that fisheries around the world have gone through "boom and bust" and that the new facility will provide the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) with key information that will enable fish stocks in the region to be managed in a way that sustains the populations of penguins, seals, whales and seabirds that also inhabit the region.

Some twenty vessels registered in a number of countries including the U.K. (Falkland Islands), Chile, Uruguay, Spain and South Africa are understood to currently be licensed by the GSGSSI to fish within the 320 km management zones around the islands, while others are believed to take fish there either illegally or in an unregulated way. Fisheries are the GSGSSI's main source of income, however, sustainability is seen as a fundamental goal.

According to BAS, initial research conducted at the new KEP facility is to focus on five commercially exploited fish species, Patagonian Toothfish, Icefish, Martialia Squid, Stone Crabs and Krill.

Logistics support for the KEP station and the Bird Island research facility on the north-west tip of South Georgia will be provided by BAS vessels. Opening of the new station coincides with the departure of the British military garrison from the island.

[ANAN-43/04]

TO THE TOP

At least six half day tourist overflights of East Antarctica are planned from Australia for the 2001-02 season, although discussions are believed to be underway to conduct a seventh as a 'day tour option' for one of the large cruise ship's that visit Sydney each austral summer.

The proposed flights are once again being marketed by the Australian company Croydon Travel using Boeing 747-400 aircraft chartered from the airline Qantas. The proposed flight dates for 2001-02 are almost identical to those of the season just completed, being 4 November from Sydney, 31 December (Sydney/Melbourne), 13 January (Sydney), 20 January (Melbourne), 27 January (Adelaide), and 10 February (Sydney).

If the seventh flight is confirmed it is expected to operate from Sydney on 16 February, and would be the sixty-fifth such overflight conducted from Australia since Croydon's first in 1994. Over 20,000 passengers and 1,200 crew members have flown over East Antarctic coastal regions between Russia's Mirny station in Wilhelm II Land in the west and the Cape Washington area of Victoria Land on the flights over the past six years (ANAN-42/09, 28 February 2001).

Qantas-Croydon Travel flight carried 2,052 passengers and 124 Qantas crew during the 2000-01 season, not 1,700 and 84 respectively as reported in ANAN-42/09.

[ANAN-43/05]

TO THE TOP

Please forward notice of events via e-mail to: tourism@aad.gov.au. Up-dates are made to ANAN's web site at http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default.asp as soon as new information comes to hand.

YEAR 2001

13-14 March (Cape Town, South Africa).
IHO Hydrographic Committee for Antarctica.
Contact: dir2@ihb.mc (Commodore John Leech)

Late May, Early June (St Petersburg, Russia)[Dates to be confirmed]
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXIV

9-12 July (Washington, D.C., United States).
IAATO year 2001 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

17-21 July (St Petersburg, Russia).
Antarctic Geodesy Symposium 2001.
Contact: aerogeodezia@actor.ru (Dr Alexander Yuskevitch)

20-24 August (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
COMNAP XIII (including the sub-committee on Tourism and
Non-Government Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).

27 August - 1 September (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
VIII SCAR Biology Symposium (Session on "Antarctic research, human
impacts and environmental policy").
For registration contact: vu_conference@dienst.vu.nl

September [Dates to be finalised] (Brittany, France)
Second international exhibition for polar philately.
Contact: philex.pole@laposte.net

YEAR 2002

30 January 2002 (King George Island, Antarctica)
Fifth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon.
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan)

8-19 July (Shanghai, China).
XXVII SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research).

July [Dates/location to be set] (Europe).
IAATO year 2002 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

13-18 July (Shanghai, China)
COMNAP XIV (including the sub-committee on Tourism and Non-Government
Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).

YEAR 2003

July [Dates to be set] (Seattle, United States).
IAATO year 2003 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

[ANAN-43/06]

TO THE TOP