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The NBP is going to rescue a sinking Korean fishing boat in Antarctica. They may put the rescued sailors ashore at McMurdo for medical help and evac.
NBP12-01: McGillicuddy (WHOI) B-318-N, looking into phytoplankton production in the Ross Sea. The NBP is en route from Punta Arenas with an expected arrival date at MCM of Feb 6th — but I’m guessing they were already working near McMurdo.
It looks like there’s a few days of McMurdo port call and some slack in the schedule, so maybe it will work out okay. I’m concerned about how the NBP and Mactown medical will handle so many burn victims. Hopefully they can medevac them back to Chch immediately.
@Sciencetech wrote:
but I’m guessing they were already working near McMurdo
You can track the NBP with the website sailwx.info, and any other ship in the world as long as they have their tracking beacon on and it’s working properly.
Indeed the NBP is already in the Ross Sea.
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WBP3210
You can also track the LMG as well, if you want, it’s currently on its annual LTER cruise from Palmer, southwest along the Antarctic Peninsula.
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WCX7445
I’m sure they’ll try and send Helos out from Mactown to get the most severe off the NBP asap and hopefully back to New Zealand.
Thanks, Iceman.
That brings up a question…is PHI allowed to fly helicopters over open water under normal conditions?
@Iceman wrote:
You can also track the LMG as well, if you want, it’s currently on its annual LTER cruise from Palmer, southwest along the Antarctic Peninsula.
I love how you can see the LTER transects. Thanks for posting that.
@Sciencetech wrote:
@Iceman wrote:
You can also track the LMG as well, if you want, it’s currently on its annual LTER cruise from Palmer, southwest along the Antarctic Peninsula.
I love how you can see the LTER transects. Thanks for posting that.
Yes, that is neat. And below the chart you can see the weather conditions as well.
If you go into the “ship tracker” you can also look for the tanker Maersk Peary (which is just south of Australia) and the Green Wave which is still in Port Hueneme. Nothing recent on that Russian chartered icebreaker Vladimir Ignatyuk, however.
“Green Wave“?? you might ask? No, it’s not the same ship we’ve seen before…but a different one, recently reflagged. Here’s my coverage of the new cargo vessel contract if you haven’t seen it: http://www.southpolestation.com/news/news.html#greenwave (and elsewhere on the news page I’ve covered the tanker and icebreaker contracts as well). Your Antarctic trivia for the week…a predecessor company to the current owner of the Green Wave (Waterman Shipping) used to be based in New Orleans, and it got its start in the business in 1947 when it purchased its first vessel, the surplused WW2 Liberty Ship that was renamed Green Wave…honoring Tulane University 😎 .
Back to the Korean tragedy in the Ross Sea…the NBP is heading for McM at 10-14 knots. It has an interesting track as well.
Word is that the patients are due here sometime today. My speculation only is that the NVP will have to ram into the ice so that the helos don’t have to fly over water. From the news reports it sounds like 2 or 3 serious patients and the remainder not so serious. Medical will be busy, but I think they can handle it.
@thepooles98 wrote:
Word is that the patients are due here sometime today. My speculation only is that the NVP will have to ram into the ice so that the helos don’t have to fly over water. From the news reports it sounds like 2 or 3 serious patients and the remainder not so serious. Medical will be busy, but I think they can handle it.
Seven injured folks aboard the NBP according to this article (with an interesting picture of the burning fishing boat) http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dead-rise-blog/dp-hampton-roads-scientists-students-on-boat-that-helped-rescue-s-koreans-in-antarctica-20120111,0,4449512.story.
Hmmm, Old Dominion has a bunch of researchers on the NBP, that’s the source of the article and that scary photo. ODU is just down the road from me. And I know a couple of folks who went there. 🙂
Wow. Enhancing the image from that article, you can see the fire on the bridge and part of the starboard hull is missing.
[attachment=0:m9s3c7xv]Jeong_Woo_2_enhanced.png[/attachment:m9s3c7xv]
I hope all the fuel burns off before she sinks…ODU has a long history of research activities in Antarctica, dating back to the 60’s. I know a number of folks from there too…..including me! 😀
It looks like the NBP made it as far south as Cape Royds. I assume they were able to offload the injured via helicopter and now they are going back north to finish the science cruise.
I mentioned the Greenwave…seems it isn’t doing so well, it’s been having problems. It broke down again just out of PH, now it’s being towed into San Diego.
Reportedly because of the stuff on board to create a temporary pier, it isn’t carrying any empty milvans for next year’s waste and other retrograde.
If it makes it.
@skua77 wrote:
That brings up a question…is PHI allowed to fly helicopters over open water under normal conditions?
no.
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