MSC Chartered Ship's Port Hueneme Cargo Offload Concludes Operation Deep Freeze 2026
PORT HUENEME, Calif. -- The Military Sealift Command (MSC)-chartered heavy lift ship Plantijngracht completed a cargo offload in Port Hueneme, Calif., following its mission to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2026. 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 for the National Science Foundation-managed U.S. Antarctic Program.
Plantijngracht arrived in Port Hueneme April 2 and began offloading 274 containers of retrograde materials including station waste and recyclables, returned from Antarctica. In addition, the ship delivered ice-core samples taken in Antarctica, which will be shared with scientists for further study.
Plantijngracht’s mission began in early January in Port Hueneme, where the ship onloaded 302 pieces of cargo, consisting of containers filled with food, dry goods, supplies and comfort items. The supplies are intended to provide nearly 80 percent of the items needed for survival during the severe arctic winter when the station is cutoff from the rest of the world.
In addition to the cargo, Plantijngracht was loaded with 24-foot pieces, that made up a 65-ton floating Modular Causeway System (MCS). The causeway was built to replace the ice pier at McMurdo Station. Previously, an ice pier made up of rebar and frozen seawater, was used for cargo offloads. Due to the size and weight of this year’s delivery, the ice pier was deemed unusable. Once in Antarctica, the causeway was assembled into sections on Plantijngracht’s deck, placed into the water and floated into place to form the final pier.
After a brief stop in New Zealand, where the ship resupplied and loaded 71 additional containers, Plantijngracht traveled to McMurdo Station, where they were met by members of Military Sealift Command Pacific (MSCPAC) and Navy Cargo Handling Battalions ONE and FIVE who offloaded the cargo.
Upon completion of the offload, Plantijngracht retrieved and loaded the MCS which was delivered to Japan before returning to Port Hueneme.
“The cargo delivery from California to Antarctica is one of the longest supply chains in the world. The ships that deliver the cargo play a huge role providing supplies that sustain multiple stations on the continent,” said Marie Morrow, MSC’s ship liaison to the Joint Support Forces Antarctica staff. “ODF is a mission that few people will ever be a part of. It takes a team of professionals, with a vast knowledge base to see it through to a successful completion, and I am so honored to have been a part of it. It’s been a long few months, and I’m happy to see the 2026 mission wrapping up, but I’m already looking ahead to 2027.”
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. 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.
