Australia has launched a rescue operation to save a seriously ill researcher from the remote Casey research station in Antarctica.
O Icebreaker RSV Nuyina left Tasmania last week, the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) said. He travels thousands of kilometers to reach the station after air rescue was ruled out due to harsh conditions, as is unfortunately common in winter.
A spokesperson for AAP, the Australian Antarctic Program, said the researcher, an Australian, needed specialist treatment but did not reveal the exact condition. The program added that it took weeks to prepare the Nuyina icebreaker for the mission, including equipping it with helicopters.
Casey Research Station is 3,443 km from Hobart, Tasmania, and is one of three permanent Antarctic stations operated by Australia.
Evacuation by air is not possible. The nearby Wilkins Airfield, near Casey, has an ice runway that is virtually unusable during the harsh Antarctic winter. According to reports, the track would require a few weeks of preparation before it could be used. Therefore, it is much faster to dispatch the icebreaker. Medical facilities at the research station are limited; around 20 people live at the station during the winter.
An AAP spokesperson told the BBC that “the well-being of our people is our top priority”. “The expeditionary’s family will be fully informed of the situation,” he added. “All other people on the wards have been accounted for and are safe.” Australia requires all researchers sent to Antarctica to undergo a full medical examination before deployment.
Evacuations from one of the most inhospitable regions on the planet are often complex, expensive, dangerous and require the support of international partners. Still in December 2020, Australia needed help from the US and China to evacuate an expedition participant. Earlier that year, an Australian Airbus A319 was sent to McMurdo Station to evacuate a sick American.