A support ship will be sent to rendezvous with Australia s fire-damaged Antarctic resupply vessel which is trying to dodge bad weather at sea.
The MPV Everest s port side engine room was engulfed by flames on Monday afternoon during its journey home after stops at research stations in the frozen continent s east.
The chartered ship is heading to Fremantle in Western Australia, the closest port, with the Australian Antarctic Division deciding to send a support vessel to meet the ship.
The MPV Everest s port side engine room was engulfed by flames on Monday afternoon during its journey home after stops at Antarctic research stations
Australian Antarctic Division
Preparations are being made to send a support vessel to the Southern Ocean to accompany Australia’s chartered Antarctic resupply vessel MPV Everest back to Fremantle.
Photo: Wayde Maurer
MPV Everest experienced a fire in its port engine room on Monday, and the ship has continued travelling north using its starboard engine room.
The vessel is now 1200 nautical miles south of Fremantle, travelling at about 10 knots.
Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) General Manager of Operations, Charlton Clark, said the vessel is not in distress and is making way under its own power.
“As a precautionary measure the AAD and the ship’s owner, Maritime Construction Services (MCS), have identified two potential support vessels to meet MPV Everest,” Mr Clark said.
Share this article
Australia will send a support vessel to assist the Antarctic resupply vessel MPV Everest in the Southern Ocean with 109 people on board after the ship suffered a fire in one of its engine rooms, the Australian Antarctic Division has reported.
MPV Everest, which is chartered by the Division, experienced a fire in its port engine room on Tuesday while returning home after a two month resupply mission to the Davis and Mawson research stations in east Antarctica. The vessel was able to continue under its own power and was last reported located about 1200 nautical miles south of Fremantle, traveling at a speed of about 10 knots.
Support ship to be deployed by AAD to assist stricken icebreaker MPV Everest after fire
updated 6
AprApril 2021 at 3:27am
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Watch
Share
Print text only
Cancel
The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) will send a support ship to a vessel that was engulfed by a fire earlier this week and is currently in the Southern Ocean with a storm approaching.
Key points:
A storm is fast approaching the fire-damaged MPV Everest vessel, which is currently in the Southern Ocean
The Australian Antarctic Division will deploy a support ship to aid the crew
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau reported the fire started around 2pm on Monday, as the ship was en route from Mawson Station in the Australian Antarctic Territory to Hobart.
The ship’s crew had activated the port engine room’s water-mist fire suppression system and boundary-cooled the engine room, with the fire reported extinguished at around 5.40pm.
At the time of the fire, the ship was about 1,700 nautical miles south of Perth, and five days into a journey expected to last 14 days.
The MPV Everest. The fire that engulfed its port engine has left it able to move only at reduced speed. Photograph: Wade Maurer