The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has confirmed that South Africa’s remote Marion Island research base will be temporarily shut down and sealed after a critical fuel shortage forced the evacuation of scientists and support staff stationed there.
The evacuation operation is expected to begin when the research vessel SA Agulhas II arrives at the island on Monday. The ship will transport the overwintering team back to South Africa over a period of just more than ten days.
According to Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp, the decision to evacuate the team was taken after prolonged delays in securing specialised fuel needed to keep the island’s generators functioning in extremely cold conditions.
Aucamp explained that the delays were caused by the unavailability of essential fuel products that are blended with ordinary diesel to create specialised polar diesel. He said the fuel is necessary because normal diesel would crystallise in the island’s freezing temperatures, making it unusable.
“The voyage delays were caused by the unavailability of crucial fuel products that are mixed with normal diesel and are used to create the special polar diesel required to keep the base running within extremely low outside temperatures that would crystallise normal diesel,” Aucamp said.
He added that authorities could no longer delay the evacuation while waiting for the specialised fuel supplies to become available.
“As we are unsure when these fuel products will be available, we cannot wait any longer at the expense of the well-being of our team. Our people’s lives come first,” the minister stated.
The department linked the shortage of specialised diesel additives to global supply chain disruptions caused by tensions in the Middle East.
Marion Island, situated about 2,000 kilometres southeast of Cape Town, is one of South Africa’s most important scientific and weather research stations. The base supports the country’s Antarctic research programme and hosts specialists in meteorology, engineering, medicine and communications.
Government officials said the evacuated researchers are expected to return to the island in August once the fuel supply challenges have been resolved. The department also noted that weather conditions could affect both the evacuation process and the return voyage to South Africa.
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