Resupply of Davis Station - According to a Boilermaker

The resupply of Davis is different from that of Casey. Whereas the Casey resupply is done over open water using jet barges, Davis resupply is done over sea ice that is over 1.5 m thick. This ice can, so I've been told, stand well over 100 tonnes of weight. This is very reassuring given I'm driving a Mack truck with a payload of 12t and observing the offloading of mobile cranes and rock crushers with weights of over 30t.

Other determining factors that make the resupply different is that the resupply of Davis is done one (1) month ahead of Casey. This means that the sea ice is still packed tight after the winter. Also Davis has a closed harbour with islands stopping the sea ice from being blown out. Casey on the other hand has an open harbour and a higher average wind speed allowing sea ice to be easily blown out of the harbour. 

So, the  Aurora Australis breaks its way into the Davis harbour using its 13400 hp engine and its icebreaking hull. It gets to within about 2.5km of the shore and parks up. The ice remains solid around the ship with only a small gap around the hull that is open to the sea. The ice can not go anywhere or move as it is locked into the surrounding shorelines of islands and the greater continent of Antarctica. This is also reassuring as one drives along the snow plowed roads built to allow transport vehicles to move cargo to and from the ship. I've included more pics of the Davis resupply at my facebook album.

For images that are for sale in print,canvas, framed print and acrylic go to my online store