11 to 23 October 2019
A ship for the mission
134 meters long and 22 meters wide
The S.A. Agulhas II, built in 2012 in Finland, is a South African oceanographic vessel of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment. It is chartered by the Société des Explorations de Monaco for the Indian Ocean 2022 mission. The company African Marine Solutions (AMSOL) manages the vessel on behalf of the South African Government. It is powered by a diesel-electric system with a power of 12 000 KW.
44 crew members and 100 passengers
Designed to support South Africa’s Antarctic program, it is one of the largest and most modern research vessels in the world. It is equipped with numerous laboratories and equipment for oceanographic operations and marine, environmental, biological and climate research. It is a powerful and efficient platform for multidisciplinary research.
A Multipurpose Vessel
Designed for navigation in ice, it can break through ice one meter thick at five knots of speed. The S.A. Agulhas II is both a supply ship serving South Africa’s Southern and Antarctic research stations and an oceanographic research vessel. It recently distinguished itself in March 2022 by finding in the Weddell Sea the wreck of the ship Endurance of the English explorer Sir Ernst Shackelton, crushed by the ice in 1915.
Did you know that?
Cape Agulhas, or Cape Agulhas, is located 177 km southeast of Cape Town, South Africa. It is the southernmost point of the African continent. It is also the official landmark to mark the passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. The origin of the word Agulhas is Portuguese. The cape was discovered in 1488 by the explorer Bartolomeu Dias.
A current called Agulhas...
A warm ocean surface current moves southward along the southeast coast of Mozambique and the South African coast, before heading east. Its name: Agulhas!
