MSC Chartered Ship MV Ocean Giant Departs in Support of Operation Deep Freeze 2022

Military Sealift Command charter ship MV Ocean Giant departed Port Hueneme, Calif., yesterday, kicking off their support of their support of the annual resupply mission to McMurdo Station, Antarctica; Operation Deep Freeze 2022.

Since Dec. 26, the 560-foot Ocean Giant has been conducting a loadout of nearly 7 million pounds of cargo. The cargo consists of 503 pieces of cargo that include containers filled with mechanical parts, vehicles, construction materials, office supplies and electronics equipment, and also a mobile home; 80 percent of the supplies needed the year’s survival at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

Following a stop in Christchurch, New Zealand, where the ship will load additional cargo, it will travel to the ice-pier at McMurdo Station, where members of Navy Cargo Handling Battalion ONE will conduct the offload. Before departing McMurdo station, Ocean Giant 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. In addition, retrograde cargo will be loaded onto the ship for transportation off the continent. These include trash and recyclable materials for disposal and equipment no longer required on the station.

On the other side of the world, MSC chartered tanker ship Maersk Perry has departed a fuel pier in Greece with diesel and jet fuel; 100 percent of the fuel needed for the year. Like Ocean Giant, Maersk Perry will deliver its cargo to the ice pier at McMurdo station.

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. 2022 marks MSC’s return to support of ODF which was paused in 2021 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. 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.