Subscribe
Military Sealift Command-chartered container ship MV Ocean Gladiator has completed a cargo offload in Port Hueneme, Calif., following its mission to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2025. The offload marks the completion of MSC’s support of the annual resupply mission to McMurdo Station, in support of the Joint Task Force Support for Antarctica mission to the National Science Foundation-managed U.S. Antarctic Program.
Ocean Gladiator arrived in Port Hueneme April 15 and began offloading 153 containers of retrograde materials including station waste and recyclables, returned from Antarctica. In addition, the ship delivered ice-core samples taken in Antarctica, that will be shared with scientists for further study. Members of Military Sealift Command Pacific’s (MSCPAC) Expeditionary Port Unit and staff were on site to supervise the offload.
Ocean Gladiator’s mission began in early January in Port Hueneme, where the ship onloaded 321 pieces of cargo, consisting of containers filled with mechanical parts, vehicles, construction materials including cement pilings for a pier project, food, electronics equipment and comfort items. The supplies were part of two deliveries, made by MSC chartered ships, that provided nearly 80 percent of the items needed for survival during the severe arctic winter over period when the station is cutoff from the rest of the world. After a brief stop in New Zealand, where the ship resupplied, Ocean Gladiator traveled to McMurdo Station, where they were met by members of MSCPAC and Navy Cargo Handling Battalions ONE and FIVE who offloaded the cargo.
Following completion of the cargo offload, Ocean Gladiator retrieved and loaded the Modular Causeway System (MCS) that was put in place for cargo movement and replaced the traditional ice-pier that has been used in years past. The MCS was delivered by MV Ocean Giant, an MSC chartered ship who arrived in Antarctica ahead of Ocean Gladiator. Ocean Gladiator delivered the MCS to Japan before returning to Port Hueneme.
“It has been a pleasure to be a part of this year’s ODF mission and to see it come to a successful close,” said Marie Morrow, MSC’s ship liaison to the Joint Support Forces Antarctica staff. “Working with a joint staff of professionals, was challenging and rewarding at the same time, and everyone’s professionalism, vast knowledge base and commitment to the mission, was a true example of how a group of people can come together for a common cause with great success. I look forward to ODF 2026!”
Operation Deep Freeze is a joint service, on-going Defense Support to Civilian Authorities activity in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program. Mission support consists of active duty, Guard and Reserve personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, and Coast Guard as well as Department of Defense civilians and attached non-DOD civilians. ODF operates from two primary locations situated at Christchurch, New Zealand and McMurdo Station, Antarctica. An MSC-chartered cargo ship and tanker have made the challenging voyage to Antarctica every year since the station and its resupply mission were established in 1955.
| Date Taken: | 04.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2025 15:26 |
| Story ID: | 495451 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, MSC Chartered Ship MV Ocean Gladiator Arrives in Port Hueneme Bringing to Close MSC’s Operation Deep Freeze 2025 Mission, by Sarah Cannon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
