U.S. Antarctic Resupply Mission Underway with Chartered Dutch Ship
Each year, the U.S. Military Sealift Command, in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy, undertakes a grueling, more than 8,000 nautical mile mission to resupply McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The USCG polar icebreaker Polar Star has already arrived in Antarctica and now the cargo operation has begun, but this year the U.S. is using a chartered Dutch heavy lift vessel.
The Polar Star has begun its first ice breaking for Operation Deep Freeze 2026. The USCG vessel is in the Southern Ocean and began on January 7, opening channels through the ice.
The same day, the Dutch-flagged heavy lift vessel Plantijngracht (19,330 dwt) operated by Spliethoff departed Port Hueneme, California, after completing the load out of this year’s cargo. The vessel is underway first to Christchurch, New Zealand, and then will make its way to McMurdo Station.
Well-known maritime industry commentator Sal Mercogliano highlighted the use of the Dutch vessel this year instead of in the past, when U.S.-flagged vessels have been chartered to MSC for the mission. He wrote on X, “The reason for the award to the more costly foreign ship was the potential US recipient of the award was outside the 3000-mile radius of Port Hueneme at the time of award, and the ship would have been 4 days late. But, 25 percent of the cargo to load was going to be a week late, so the U.S.-flagged ship could have loaded and departed at the same time as the foreign ship.”
The Plantijngracht is slightly larger than the U.S. vessels Ocean Giant and Ocean Gladiator (each 17,500 dwt), which made the trip in the past. Both ships have made the trip in the past, although the MSC report only highlights the one ship this year.
During the preparation in Port Hueneme, they report that 302 pieces of cargo were loaded. It consists of containers filled with construction materials, construction equipment, parts for the ongoing barge project at McMurdo Station, as well as dry goods and supplies needed for survival on Antarctica. Further material will be loaded during the stop in Christchurch.
In addition to cargo containers, materials for a 65-ton floating causeway system were loaded. The causeway will replace the ice pier at McMurdo Station. Previously, an ice pier made up of rebar and frozen seawater was used for cargo offloads. Because of the size and weight of the cargo this year, the ice pier is unusable.
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After offloading the materials, the cargo ship takes aboard trash and other materials from the station. It also returns any outdated or unused equipment no longer required at the station.
The cargo ships in past years have returned to the United States, typically in March. Polar Star, which will mark 50 years of operation in 2026, typically departs Antarctica by early March after having completed its mission and begins the long trip back to the United States.