Due to technical problems with the front crane the German research vessel Polarstern did not start its third leg to Antarctica yesterday.
One important part of the crane’s hydraulic system is broken. Therefore the crew could not complete loading in the port of Punta Arenas, Chile. “The damage is fundamental and we can not fix the crane with our tools onboard”, said captain Uwe Pahl on the phone.
Meanwhile technicians onboard and experts from the AWI logistic department are trying to find a solution. “The problem is, that the front doors of the cargo hold are still open. Each of them weights ten metric tons and we cannot find a land-based crane in Punta Arena strong enough to lift and close them”, AWI-Polarstern coordinator Dr. Rainer Knust said.
Without these doors closed the RV POLARSTERN is not allowed to start sailing. Rainer Knust : “The polar regions are extreme environments where wind, ice and cold push our ship’s technique to its extremes. Both of Polarstern’s cranes had been checked when the ship was in the dockyard last autumn. This damage could not be foreseen.”
[mappress] Press Release, January 22, 2013; Image: AWI