Antarctica

• Wednesday, December 20th 2023 - 18:00 UTC

  Ex-Royal Marine attempting a Guinness World Record by skiing to the South Pole

  

  A Welsh ex-Royal Marine from Seven Sisters in Neath Port Talbot, Dave Thomas, is aiming to set a new Guinness World Record, becoming the oldest person to ski unsupported from Hercules Inlet, in West Antarctica, to the South Pole, reports BBC.

• Wednesday, December 20th 2023 - 10:19 UTC

  Uruguayan President and his children land in Antarctica

  

  The Uruguayan Air Force's Lockheed C-130 Hercules FAU 594 carrying President Luis Lacalle Pou and his children landed at the South American country's Artigas Base (BCAA) in Antarctica on Tuesday. “After 30 years, I have returned to Antarctica. The Artigas base houses military and civilians who work side by side,” Lacalle wrote on social networks.

• Tuesday, December 19th 2023 - 10:09 UTC

  Falklands' Patrol HMS Forth visits South Georgia as part of its protection and bio diversity duties

  

  The Falkland Islands patrol vessel HMS Forth, has paid a visit to the island of South Georgia, where it met some of its permanent residents, penguins and seals, to look after their well being and the environment.

• Tuesday, December 19th 2023 - 09:30 UTC

  South Georgia ensures environmental protection for its maritime zone until 2028

  

  In a significant step towards supporting marine conservation efforts in the South Atlantic, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) has announced the successful transition of ownership of Pharos Marine Limited (part of the Falklands based Byron group) to Workboat Services Limited, WBS, ensuring the continued operational presence of the vessel MV Pharos SG in the South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands Maritime Zone.

• Saturday, December 16th 2023 - 10:18 UTC

  Uruguayan president postpones Antarctica trip due to bad weather

  

  Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou's trip to Antarctica has been postponed due to bad weather, Defense Minister Javier García announced Friday in Montevideo.

• Tuesday, December 12th 2023 - 10:44 UTC

  UK and Chile signed a five year Antarctica Cooperation Agreement

  

  Foreign Office minister for the Americas, the Caribbean, and British Overseas Territories, David Rutley, has been quite busy in his areas of influence. At the end of October, he visited Peru to commemorate two hundred years of close relations between Britain and the Andean country. Rutley later travelled to Santiago, where he also had a busy agenda given UK's and the Royal Navy strong alliance with Chile.

• Tuesday, December 12th 2023 - 10:10 UTC

  Change of skipper for the Royal Navy Ice Patrol

  

  After 20 months and 54,500nm, Captain Maryla Ingham RN has handed over Command of the Ice Patrol HMS Protector to Captain Tom Weaver OBE RN in the Falkland Islands.

• Sunday, December 10th 2023 - 11:31 UTC

  Bird flu expanding in Antarctica, high mortality among elephant seals

  

  Mass elephant seal deaths have been reported in the Antarctic region after a high level of mortality has been detected among elephant seal pups at three sites around South Georgia. Animals have shown symptoms that are consistent with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), and the outbreak affects particularly the southern elephant seal species (Mirounga leonine).

• Tuesday, December 5th 2023 - 10:40 UTC

  RRS Sir David Attenborough meets mega iceberg A23a drifting towards South Georgia

  

  Scientists aboard the Falklands flagged RRS Sir David Attenborough collected samples of seawater around the A23a mega iceberg, the largest iceberg in the world. New video footage shows the enormous iceberg, some 3,900km2 and 400m tall, twice the size of Greater London stretching out into the distance beyond the research vessel.

• Friday, December 1st 2023 - 09:46 UTC

  Uruguayan scientific, military team flies to Antarctica

  

  A group of over 40 Uruguayan military and scientific personnel were flown to Antarctica aboard an Ururuguayan Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in a move to promote 14 projects in the areas of geosciences, life sciences, social and human sciences, as well as environmental monitoring, it was reported Thursday in Montevideo.