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Updated January 5th, 2021 at 11:24 IST

43 Indians embark on nation's 40th scientific expedition to Antarctica; voyage of 30 days

India's 40th scientific expedition to Antarctica will leave on a ship from Goa on Tuesday with 43 members, less than half of the conventional strength of 100.

Reported by: Jay Pandya
India
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India's 40th scientific expedition to Antarctica will leave on a ship from Goa on Tuesday with 43 members, less than half of the conventional strength of 100, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Ministry of Earth Sciences said on Monday. The team comprises scientists, engineers, doctors and technicians and is led by three polar veterans, said Javed Beg, group director (Antarctic Operations and Infrastructure) at the National Centre for Polar and Oceanic Research (NCPOR) in Goa.

40th Indian scientific expedition to Antarctica

The team was given a formal send-off at the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) in Vasco town of South Goa on Monday by senior officials of the NCPOR, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), which is providing fuel for the expedition, and the India Post, which has released a special stamp to mark the occasion.

The chartered ice-class vessel MV Vasiliy Golovnin will make this journey and will reach Antarctica in 30 days. After leaving behind a team of 40 members, it would return to India in April 2021. On return, it will also bring back the winter team of the preceding trip, the ministry said. 

The Indian Antarctic expeditions began in 1981. The first trip comprised of a team of 21 scientists and support staff led by Dr SZ Qasim. After a humble beginning, the Indian Antarctic programme is now credited with having built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica—named Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri, and Bharati. As of today, India has two operational research stations in Antarctica named Maitri and Bharati. The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, manages the entire Indian Antarctic program.

The preceding 39th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica was launched in November 2019. It mounted 27 scientific projects, focusing on climate process and its linkages with climate change, crustal evolution, environmental processes and conservation, the ecosystem of terrestrial and near-shore regions, observational research, and polar technology.

India committed to keeping Antarctica free of COVID-19

Two additional collaborative projects with the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan were also undertaken. After completing its mission mandate, it returned to India in May of 2020. It also replenished the annual supplies of food, fuel, provisions, snowmobiles, and spares for operations and maintenance of life support systems at Maitri and Bharati. It cruised a team of 48 members to Antarctica for winter operations.

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The Ministry said that the focus of this expedition is to support the ongoing scientific projects on climate change, geology, ocean observations, electric and magnetic flux measurements, environmental monitoring; resupplying of food, fuel, provisions and spare; and accomplishing the return of the winter crew.

"India is committed to maintaining the continent of Antarctica free of COVID-19. The expedition will duly follow all protocols for the deployment of men and material as per the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs(COMNAP). Extra precautions of sanitizing the cargo, mandatory fourteen days of quarantine (pre-, and post-expedition), and RT-PCR testing before boarding the ice-class vessel is also being conducted," the official release said. While the Indian expedition has taken its precautions, the pandemic has reached the polar continent already, with over 50 people infected, largely part of a Chilean crew.

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Published January 5th, 2021 at 11:24 IST

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