Japan's Antarctic Research Vessel Berths near Showa Station

Off Showa Station, Antarctica, Dec. 29 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Antarctic research vessel Shirase carved its way through sea ice and reached a fast ice berthing point about 1,700 meters off Japan's Showa Station at 12:44 p.m. on Saturday.

The waters around East Ongul Island, where the station is located, are covered by fast ice year-round and there is no pier. Therefore, "berthing" refers to positioning the ship close enough to the station to connect hoses and pump fuel.

This season, the usual approach route was blocked by widespread broken sea ice that had been crushed and piled up by wind and currents, dotted with icebergs, forcing the Shirase to try an alternative path. This year's berthing point is several-fold farther from the base than in typical years.

"We've achieved an unprecedented berthing north of the station, but the melting sea ice requires constant vigilance," Tsuyoshi Iwase, captain of the vessel, said.

Fuel transfer via pipeline began Saturday night, before the transport of food, observation equipment and other supplies by vehicles traveling over the sea ice.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]