Argentina's 2025/2026 Antarctic Summer Campaign (CAV) is now in full swing . Twenty-four hours ago, the icebreaker ARA "Almirante Irízar," the flagship of the logistical operation, crossed the turbulent Drake Passage, sailing towards the heart of the White Continent to begin resupplying the Argentine bases.
The official departure of the “Irízar”, with 313 crew members on board, took place on November 29. And although the sequence of bases to be visited was not detailed in the official statements, the initial operational movements indicate a possible route that prioritizes key settlements.
The confirmation that scientific and technical personnel from the National Parks Administration (APN) are traveling to the Joint Antarctic Base (BAC) Orcadas for studies in marine protected areas suggests that this historic base—the oldest in Argentina (since 1904)—will be an early stopover point.
A central objective of this campaign is to advance the second phase of development of the strategic BAC Petrel base on Dundee Island. This base is crucial for air and logistical projection, and plans include completing the assembly of living quarters and logistics modules.
The campaign also includes the resupply of other permanent bases (such as Belgrano II and Marambio ) and the reactivation of temporary bases such as Brown, Cámara, Decepción, Melchior and Primavera.
Petrel's committed air logistics
The ambitious goal of accelerating construction at Petrel Base faces a significant setback in the initial phase of the campaign . The logistics support and transport aircraft, the Mirgor Basler BT-67 LV-VYL, which was to be vital for mobilizing personnel and materials from the island, suffered a glitch and will not be operational during the summer .
Unless the company can resolve the situation quickly by providing a second aircraft, this incident will directly impact Petrel's timeline. This could slow down the logistical rotation in the initial stages and alter the Joint Antarctic Command's (COCOANTAR) deployment plans for the Antarctic Peninsula.
Progress and modernization in the British campaign
Meanwhile, the British Antarctic Survey 's (BAS) 2025/2026 polar campaign started with an earlier schedule.
The RRS “Sir David Attenborough” icebreaker, which sailed from Plymouth in October and made a logistical stop in Montevideo (Uruguay), arrived at its main base, Rothera , on November 24.
The British activity during this campaign is focused on modernizing Antarctic infrastructure. The arrival of the icebreaker is key to supporting the opening of the new and strategic Discovery Building in Rothera . This facility represents a long-term investment that strengthens British research capabilities in critical areas such as oceanography and glaciology.
The British ship's operations in the South Orkney Islands (Signy Base) and the Antarctic Peninsula focused on deploying state-of-the-art technology for ocean study and cutting-edge scientific research, reinforcing the British Antarctic Survey 's presence in its territorial claim area.
The “Almirante Irízar”, after crossing the Drake, is now advancing towards its bases, undertaking a highly complex campaign with the additional challenge of overcoming the initial air limitation in the development of Base Petrel.
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