The Argentine Navy icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar stopped in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean this week, en route to this summer s Antarctic campaign, at the site where the doomed submarine ARA San Juan was found off Comodoro Rivadavia in 2018, paying tribute to the crew and demanding justice from the ongoing investigation into the unit s 2017 sinking.
Argentine Navy icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar Captain Carlos Recio announced that the unit had complied with all the tasks emanating from the operations order of the Joint Antarctic Commander, also carrying out more than 600 movements of scientific and military personnel between the different joint Antarctic bases and was therefore on her way to the last stage of the Antarctic Summer Campaign (CAV) 2022/2023, it was reported.
The Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA) warned that the iceberg that calved off the Brunt Ice Shelf into the Wedell Sea is such a large structure that any vessel coming its way would have to take evasive action. Hence, it is being monitored to make sure it does not affect the icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar s route from Ushuaia to the Argentine bases in the region.
Argentine Navy s icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar was ordered Thursday to set sail with over 300 people onboard among military and scientific personnel, marking the official beginning of the 2022/23 Summer Antarctic campaign. The Irízar s mission will consist of three stages until April 2023.