The Patrol Is Over – the Ice Patrol Ship PROTECTOR has returned “home” at the end of a nine month deployment to the ‘Frozen Continent’.    The PROTECTOR deployed last September (2012) and “”passaged” south via St Helena, Simon's Town (South Africa) and Tristan da Cunha before arriving in Antarctica in early December (2012).      The PROTECTOR operated in the British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands throughout the Austral Summer, the ship conducted three intensive work periods in the ice, and a fourth work period in the waters surrounding South Georgia.    The programme included:

·         providing direct support to a UK led multi-national Antarctic Treaty Inspection team

·         landing and recovering British Antarctic Survey scientists at ecologically important sites; assisting with ongoing environmental and conservation work including hosting an international team updating the visitor guidelines for regularly visited sites and surveying the poorly charted waters around the Antarctic Peninsula.

·         The multi-beam echo sounder and Survey Motor Boat provides hi-tech hydrographic charting and imagery used to improve the navigational awareness and safety of other ships and mariners operating in the area.

The PROTECTOR is due to deploy on Patrol to the Antarctic again in autumn 2013.