The diesel-electric icebreaker “Vassily Golvnin” has delivered cargo to India’s research station Bharati in the Antarctic, FESCO, the vessel operator, said in a statement.
Bharati is the first destination in the 2023-2024 Antarctic expedition programme FESCO is fulfilling for India’s National Center for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).
The ship arrived at Bharati on January 17 delivering cargo, supplies and fuel and a new shift of polar researchers to the station.
Cargo will be unloaded both from the shipboard directly and using two helicopters. Then, the Indian researchers whose shift at the station is over will board the ship. Also, the “Vassily Golvnin” will evacuated the waste from the station.
The icebreaker will spend at about a fortnight before setting sail at the end of January to the next destination, India’s Maitri station.
The current Antarctic expedition, the sixth for the company, is to last till mid-March 2024.
Photo: courtesy of FESCO