{"id":87551,"date":"2026-02-13T14:13:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T17:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/892115833"},"modified":"2026-02-13T14:13:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T17:13:56","slug":"military-delivers-needed-cargo-to-antarctica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/13\/military-delivers-needed-cargo-to-antarctica\/","title":{"rendered":"Military Delivers Needed Cargo to Antarctica"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FEBRUARY 13, 2026 \u2013 The Military Sealift Command chartered heavy lift ship Plantijngracht is conducting cargo offload operations at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as part of MSC\u2019s ongoing support of the annual Antarctic resupply mission: Operation Deep Freeze 2026.<\/p>\n

The Plantijngracht arrived in Winter Bay, Antarctica, Feb. 4, where its crew offloaded a 65-ton floating modular causeway system. Sections of the system were assembled on the ship\u2019s deck before being offloaded, connected and floated into place by the Army\u2019s 7th Transportation Battalion. The causeway is being used instead of the traditional ice pier this year due to the size and weight of the ship\u2019s cargo.<\/p>\n

While the focus of the mission is on cargo delivery, the causeway system came with its own unique set of challenges that planners had to anticipate and account for to ensure a smooth operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe [causeway system] adds to the overall timeline of the cargo offload. It takes approximately three to four days to build at the start of the operation and the same amount of time to break down at the end,\u201d said Marie Morrow, the ship\u2019s liaison to the Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica staff. \u201cWeather starts to deteriorate quickly in the second half of February, as the summer season comes to a close, so those extra six to eight days can increase the likelihood of weather challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the system was in place and secure, the ship was met by members of Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 and cargo offloading operations began. The ship is delivering 372 pieces of cargo, consisting of containers filled with dry goods and supplies needed for survival at the remote Antarctic outpost.<\/p>\n

Logistical moves are nothing new for Military Sealift Command; in fact, around the world, they are almost a daily occurrence. However, moving cargo in the harshest environment on Earth is a mission unto itself. Antarctica is known for its bitterly cold temperatures, harsh winds, ice conditions and weather that can change in a matter of minutes. All factors that need to be considered as operations unfold.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe austere environment adds a lot of challenges to the operation. Unpredictable weather conditions, freezing cargo gear and high winds are common hurdles faced in the cargo operation. Ice conditions vary from year to year and bring different problems,\u201d Morrow said.<\/p>\n

The presence of thick ice can slow down the ship\u2019s arrival at the station. Little to no ice or open water conditions can cause shoreside erosion at the wharf.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo handle all of the challenges, we control what we can within the operation,\u201d she said. \u201cWe use past lessons learned to handle challenges that come up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the offload, the ship will be loaded with containers of retrograde cargo for transportation off the continent. This includes trash and recyclable materials for disposal and equipment no longer required at the station, as well as the causeway system.<\/p>\n

Before departing McMurdo Station, the crew will also load ice-core samples that will be stored on the ship in a subzero freezer. The samples will be delivered to the U.S. for scientific study.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cargo delivery from California to Antarctica is one of the longest supply chains in the world. The ship plays a huge role in delivering cargo that supplies and sustains multiple stations on the continent,\u201d Morrow said. \u201cThe crews are always quite enthusiastic to be a part of such a unique and remote operation. For most, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Sarah Cannon
Military Sealift Command Pacific<\/p>\n

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… ship Plantijngracht is conducting cargo<\/span> offload operations at McMurdo … of Navy Cargo<\/span> Handling Battalion 1 and cargo<\/span> offloading … Unpredictable weather conditions, freezing cargo<\/span> gear and high winds … with containers of retrograde cargo<\/span> for transportation off …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87551\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}