Hms-Protector

For the first time in 80 years a British Navy ship will patrol the Ross Sea, with HMS Protector setting out to target Patagonian toothfish poachers. The icebreaker, which usually works on the British-owned Antarctic Peninsula, has docked in Hobart ahead of a month-long patrol of the Ross Sea.The ship's captain, Rory Bryan, hopes the venture will deter illegal fishing operations."Our key role is going to be the maintenance of what is known as CCAMLR - which is the fishery protection role in Antarctica - and we're going to be helping the Australians, in effect, police those waters," he said.

The men and women of HMS Protector have helped the South Georgia Government by carrying out a beach cleanup and glacier survey. 700 miles east of the Falklands, South Georgia is a crescent shaped island with magnificent scenery and wildlife. But over the years debris from several shipwrecks has been washed up on the island’s beaches. More at http://en.mercopress.com/2015/02/28/hms-protector-in-cleanup-and-surveying-tasks-in-south-georgia

Andrew Weir Shipping Ltd. announced that it has been awarded the contract for the support and maintenance of HMS Protector (A173), following a competitive tendering process. HMS Protector is the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, and is deployed on operations for 334 days per year. The vessel was chartered from commercial service by the Royal Navy in April 2011, and purchased outright in September 2013. HMS Protector’s home port is HMNB Devonport. In addition to the support of scientific bases in Antarctica, HMS Protector is also equipped for patrol, survey and humanitarian tasking. In 2012 the vessel came to the aid of a Brazilian research station on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands following a fire. Andrew Weir Shipping has operated in the British maritime industry for almost 130 years. The company is involved in diverse projects, ranging from the support of the U.K. Ministry of Defense’s Strategic Sealift Service, the operation of the last true Royal Mail Ship, the RMS St Helena, and the management of private yachts up to 163m. http://www.marinelink.com/news/antarctica-support-andrew373338.aspx