MSC Chartered Ship Arrives at McMurdo Station in Support of Operation Deep Freeze 2026
The Military Sealift Command (MSC)-chartered heavy lift ship Plantijngracht arrived in Winter Bay, Antarctica in support of the annual resupply mission to McMurdo Station, Antarctica; Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2026.
Plantijngracht is currently moored at Winter Quarter Bay, where it will offload a 65-ton floating Modular Causeway System (MCS). Due to the size and weight of the ship’s cargo, this causeway will replace the traditionally used ice pier.. Following assembly of the MCS, members of Navy Cargo Handling Battalion ONE and the ship’s crew will offload 372 pieces of cargo, consisting of containers filled with dry goods and supplies needed for the year’s survival at the Antarctic outpost.
Once the offload is complete, Plantijngracht will be loaded with ice core samples that will be stored on the ship in sub-zero freezer containers. The ice core samples will be delivered to the United States for scientific study. Additionally, retrograde cargo such as trash, recyclables, and equipment no longer required at the station will be loaded onto the ship for transportation off the continent.
ODF is a joint service, ongoing Defense Support to Civilian Authorities (DSCA) mission in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF is the lead agency for the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). 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 War civilians and attached non-DOW civilians. ODF operates from two primary locations situated at Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo Station, Antarctica. MSC-chartered ships have made the challenging voyage to Antarctica every year since the station and its resupply mission were established in 1955.
MSC directs and supports operations for approximately 140 civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea, conduct specialized missions, preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, perform a variety of support services, and move military equipment and supplies to deployed U.S. forces.
