13 October 2026
(PHOTO: Facebook/National Antarctic Scientific Center)
The Ukrainian research vessel "Noosphere" set sail from Cape Town for Antarctica, marking the start of its sixth Antarctic season. This year, Ukrainian scientists plan to expand the scope of their research, specifically to study the Weddell Sea together with their Swedish colleagues.
This was reported by the National Antarctic Scientific Center.
The ship’s first stop will be the Polish Antarctic station “Arctowski,” where the “Noosphere” is assisting with logistics during the construction of new buildings. The icebreaker will then head to Punta Arenas, Chile, where it will pick up Ukrainian seasonal researchers and cargo for the “Akademik Vernadsky” station. They are expected to arrive in early December.
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PHOTO: Facebook/National Antarctic Scientific Center
One of the season’s main focuses will be a large-scale Ukrainian-Swedish expedition in the Weddell Sea—east of the Antarctic Peninsula. Scientists will study extremophile organisms living near underwater hydrothermal vents, known as “black smokers,” where temperatures can reach 400°C. They will also search for cold-water corals and a sunken ship, and study atmospheric rivers and ocean currents.
The first Indonesian Antarctic expedition will also be working aboard the “Noosphere” and at the “Vernadsky” station. Joint geological, biological, and oceanographic research is planned. Cooperation with Mexico, the United States, and the Czech Republic will continue, as will two research projects under the EU’s POLARIN program—one on microbial communities in the polar atmosphere and the other on carbon monitoring in the Southern Ocean.
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PHOTO: Facebook/National Antarctic Scientific Center
The icebreaker will, as usual, ensure the rotation of annual expeditions to the “Akademik Vernadsky” station. The National Antarctic Scientific Center emphasized that joint research is funded by foreign partners and grants, not by Ukraine’s state budget.
Андрій Колісніченко