S. A. Agulhas II is the first ship of her kind to be allowed to carry both passengers and fuel, such as polar diesel, Jet A helicopter fuel and petrol, as cargo. Their first priority, however, is to test the vessel itself in order to find out whether the state-of-the-art equipment works as it should. On 27 June 2002, S. A. Agulhas was 370 kilometres (230 mi) from Magdalena Oldendorff, close enough for its two Oryx helicopters, operated by 22 Squadron,[10] to reach the stricken vessel.

She also has two fast rescue craft, which are on standby during helicopter operations, and two fully enclosed lifeboats for 75 personnel.[3]. The ice-strengthened cargo ship had become stuck in the ice during severe weather conditions while en route from a Russian Antarctic base to Cape Town. Information. The Oceans and Coasts Branch of the

She arrived at her home port, Cape Town on 3 May, during a ceremony celebrating the arrival the ship was dedicated to the memory of singer Miriam Makeba.[8]. After return to Cape Town, the ship will then visit Antarctica.

She is served by a crew of 45. [4] To fulfill the International Maritime Organisation’s Safe Return to Port requirement, the main engines are located in two separate engine rooms and the ship is capable of returning to port with one engine room flooded.

They look pretty cosy, but “cabin fever” is aptly named, so the observation deck may prove popular as a (chilly) place for meditation. (And then there’s the sauna itself: a Scandinavian signature if ever there was one.)

S. A. Agulhas II is powered by four six-cylinder Wärtsilä 6L32 medium-speed diesel generating sets, each producing 3,000 kW (4,000 hp). But given the importance of the research it will undertake, and the longitudinal nature of the investment, it’s hard to begrudge this particular instance of government spending.

Scientists have boxed research in silos for a long time, but are now fostering a new era of ‘earth system science’, which holds that you can’t exclude disciplines, because there are interactions between them.”.

It is served by a 35-ton main crane and three 10-ton general cargo cranes, all of which can also be used to lower scientific equipment and vehicles on ice.

She was built in 2012 by STX Finland Rauma shipyard in Rauma, Finland, to replace the ageing S. A. Agulhas, which was retired from Antarctic service in April 2012.

Conditions were, unsurprisingly, predicted to be cold and dark.

The German icebreaker Polarstern assisted her and by February 1992 S. A. Agulhas had been freed from the pack ice. Attached to the Makeba lounge is a smoking room guaranteed to make even the most hardened puffer flinch at the prospect – it’s windowless and no more than a metre and a half wide.

“We hope to be getting to understand the ocean environment as a whole,” Johnson said. On arrival back in Cape Town, the suspected killer could not be found on board the vessel. [1], Icebreaking polar supply and research ship, CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (, International Maritime Organisation’s Safe Return to Port requirement, South African National Antarctic Programme, R1.3bn icebreaker rounds off SA’s research investment south of Cape Agulhas, SA Agulhas II handed over to South Africa, Ice-breaker SA Agulhas II passes with flying colours, SA Agulhas II helping Finns better understand hullforms, DefenceWeb – SA receives SA Agulhas II polar research ship, "The SA Agulhas prepares for polar retirement", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=S._A._Agulhas_II&oldid=968034030, CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 15,000 nautical miles (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) in 1 m (3.3 ft) ice, This page was last edited on 16 July 2020, at 20:26. Ansorge says the food is “very good.

[12] The environmental protection vessel Sarah Baartman was dispatched and took custody of the two accused and the deceased's body on 3 October 2007.

But what does the ship that you paid for actually look like? “It’s pretty bling,” she admits. There are banks of screens, buttons, knobs and levers, and windows offering a 360-degree view of events below. The SA Agulhas II looks like a comfortable place to spend a month, and it should – it hasn’t come cheap. Time now 2020-Sep-27 18:18 UTC.

When heavy loads are being lifted, a heeling tank is used to balance the vessel.

[1], The ship has a diesel-electric powertrain with two Converteam 4,500 kW propulsion motors driving 4.5-metre (15 ft) KaMeWa controllable pitch propellers,[3] a relatively uncommon feature in diesel-electric ships which usually use fixed-pitch propellers.

[6] In addition the hull and machinery of the vessel were instrumented to measure full-scale ice loads, and in the future S. A. Agulhas II will be used as a research platform by companies and universities from Finland and South Africa to gain more knowledge about the interaction between ice and the ship. In December 1991, S. A. Agulhas suffered rudder damage while in the Antarctic. It was speculated that he jumped over the side of the vessel before arrival in Cape Town.

Chief scientist Ashley Johnson, who is also the director for Oceans Research at the Department of Environmental Affairs, explained on Monday that this means the purpose of the voyage is to test the vessel’s capabilities “in conditions that she needs to get used to”.

Length 133 m; draft 6.7 m. Type: Passenger vessel. Her displacement is 13,687 tons,[3] gross tonnage is 12,897, net tonnage 3,870 and deadweight tonnage 4,780 tons.

During the latter voyage the ship encountered level ice up to 0.6 metres (2.0 ft) thick and performed beyond expectations. The scientists on board will be studying features of the ocean ranging from the tiniest living organisms – phytoplankton – up to seals and sea birds, as well as aspects like currents, atmospheric science and carbon dioxide exchange, which has a major impact on climate change. “We have tried to keep it as multidisciplinary as possible,” explained Johnson. The current position of S.A. AGULHAS II is at South Africa (coordinates 33.90242 S / 18.42583 E) reported 2 min ago by AIS.. S. A. Agulhas II is the first ship of her kind to be built to the new SOLAS 2009 rules for passenger ships, leading to several unique aspects in her design. We move on to a small gym, equipped with weights, cycles and a treadmill, and leading off that is the sauna, which Ansorge says is likely to become popular with students who are supposed to be on duty.

[1] She is served by a crew of 45. This part of the voyage should take about 10 days, depending on the weather – the ship was slated to confront three cold fronts as it left the Cape Town harbour. S. A. Agulhas and the Argentine icebreaker Almirante Irízar were dispatched to render assistance.

S. A. Agulhas retired from Antarctic service in April 2012 when the replacement vessel, S. A. Agulhas II, was commissioned.

End. The vessel maintains positioning during offloading at the ice shelf, as well as during scientific survey work, using a Navis Engineering DP4000 dynamic positioning system. Once they have hit the ice, the ship will stay there for about 12 hours for tests, and from there sail on to Prince Edward Island and Marion Island before heading back for two open days in Port Elizabeth.

S.A. Agulhas II is fitted with a state of the art Raytheon Anschutz integrated bridge navigation system.

The ship’s maiden voyage is a “shakedown cruise”.